Ohio State football’s special teams are bad, but the Buckeyes’ running game is good

The three off-center kicks led Marshall to start his attacks at the 35-yard line instead of the 25, putting the spotlight on a special teams unit that has struggled for several seasons. Last year, it was particularly chaotic, so much so that Day showed special teams coach Parker Fleming the door.

Day became more involved in overseeing the special teams, which are now coached by a committee, and things were going pretty smoothly until Saturday, when in addition to Fielding’s botched kicks, Brandon Inniss fumbled a punt that Marshall recovered. Fortunately for Inniss, who replaced Jayden Ballard on the kickoff return, the fumble was nullified by an illegal lineup penalty against the Herd. Inniss also fumbled on a punt return that would have resulted in a big gain.

Coaches shouldn’t be blamed for individual mistakes, but Ohio State is a big company, and it’s bad form for a CEO to throw the corporation’s hardworking employees under the bus. That’s not to say Day was wrong to bench Fielding at halftime and replace him with Austin Snyder. When a kicker develops the equivalent of golf yips, you bench him until he proves he can overcome his nervous twitch.

The big question is whether Day will bench himself – har-har – for drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after taking a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.