Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Coach Ryan Day announced that Stroud would only be used in an emergency situation against Akron on Saturday, on his weekly radio show 97.1 FM The Fan.
Day reports that Stroud is recovering from a shoulder injury and that the staff thought a week of rest would be beneficial for the redshirt freshman as the Big Ten conference schedule nears.
Day stated, "We'll watch how he feels right now, how he feels today coming in. But there was still a feeling that he couldn't shake. So maybe rest would be a good thing for him." Let the other guys practice, and then move on. We'll watch, we'll observe, we will see how he is doing, how he feels, and of course, his feedback is very important.
"If he's willing to roll, we can go. Rest here seems like the best choice for the weekend.
Quinn Ewers, a true freshman, will not be able to play so Jack Miller will replace Stroud. Kyle McCord and Kyle McCord will also get playing time. Day has not yet named a starter, but they have both been practicing as if they will play.
"These guys both have reps, and both get reps with them." Day stated that they split them fairly evenly across the board throughout the week and they both picked the game plan. They both feel good going into Thursday practice. We still have a lot of preparation to go before Saturday night. We'll keep watching and see how today goes. It's good to know that there are some guys out there who are eager to get some reps, and that it's an exciting time for the entire team.
Day stated that Day will name one starter and not a rotation of two quarterbacks as part of the plan. After watching practice on Thursday, Day has put together a plan for how he sees the game unfolding.
McCord and Miller have never completed passes in college. However, Miller was a part of a game last year when he ran 21 yards against Nebraska. Day believes that both McCord and Miller have the experience to be successful as quarterbacks. He also says that the staff is well-prepared for the moment based on past experience.
Day stated, "We knew going in that we were going to require the entire room. We talked about this coming in, that it was only going to be one man, but that we would need everyone." We know that we had to have JT [Barrett], Cardale (Jones), and Braxton [Miller] in 2014. Perhaps this year will be similar. We'll see. This is a great chance to get these guys reps and it seems like the opportunity might be here.
