Regardless of who is kicking for Ohio State, avoiding field goals for TDs is key
Ryan Day: “We've missed too many field goals. I'm not happy about that at all … That's something that obviously Coach (Matt) Barnes and everyone is focusing on this week … it's unacceptable.”
With Blake Haubeil out, Jake Seibert missed his only field goal try vs. Indiana.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 25, 2020
Before I get too far into this, I am not saying don’t kick any field goals, but rather, don’t play thinking you can settle for a field goal. The kicking game has been a little rough for Ohio State this season and Blake Haubeil being out doesn’t help at all. A missed field goal won’t doom this team in this game, but not settling for them right now will help down the stretch while the coaching staff figures everything out.
Scoring points will also help the defense, which to this point has not been consistent enough to rely on. Illinois can not keep up with Ohio State in scoring points, so getting ahead will force the Fighting Illini to have to become one-dimensional. Without Ryan Day, it might be even more of a necessity to cash in on touchdowns in this one.
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