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In between playing two of the more physically gifted teams on the schedule, Ohio State football’s focus this week is more on the mental side of things.
The Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten, No. 12 CFP) dropped from No. 2 in the Associated Press poll last week to No. 11 following a 30-18 loss at USC.
The timing of their second setback of the season could have been better as the College Football Playoff committee released its first rankings Tuesday night. The Buckeyes came in at 12th — effectively out of the field if the playoff started this week because a team from a Group of 5 conference will get an automatic bid.
“It’s pretty much playoff time now for us cuz we can’t lose,” junior linebacker Payton Pierce said. “And so there’s a sense of urgency, and intensity, and focus.”
Pierce is a captain, so he is part of the chain of command when it comes to leadership, but he said it starts at the top with head coach Ryan Day.
What is Day’s message?
“We gotta go — leave it all on the field,” Pierce said. “There’s no stepping back, no regrets. Guys gotta go out there and let it rip.”
More than one player expressed some concern that effort was lacking at times in the loss to the Trojans, who were facing their own CFP mortality after getting throttled at Wisconsin on Oct. 24 to fall to 6-2.
Safety Jaylen McClain was the first to mention effort during postgame interviews in Los Angeles, and linebacker Christian Alliegro confirmed they saw issues during film review Sunday.
This week it sounds like Day is on the warpath to prevent a repeat — not only out of a sense of pride but also a feeling the Buckeyes (6-2) might be out of chances to make the postseason if they stumble this week against Oregon (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) or in subsequent games against Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan.
“The playoffs have started early for us,” running back Isaiah West said. “If we win, we continue. If we lose, we put ourselves in a really bad spot, so the sense of urgency is at an all-time high.”
West described the feelings around the building as “heavy,” but he also said multiple times, “We’ll be just fine.”
It’s a delicate balance between being locked in and playing too tight.
Although Day’s teams have rarely lost a game — let alone two — prior to the last week of the season during his eight years at the helm in Columbus, he has had to navigate them through tough times before.
Most notably was two years ago when the Buckeyes were reeling after a 13-10 loss to Michigan in which they might have been too amped to play their best.
After three weeks of soul searching, they looked rejuvenated in a throttling of Tennessee to kick off a four-game run to the CFP National Championship.
“He’s had a great message this week, and we know what’s at stake so we’re just taking it one day at a time right now,” Pierce said.
This week they play host to an Oregon team that’s already lost three games despite boasting a star-studded roster that had the Ducks ranked No. 2 behind Ohio State to start the season. They showed resiliency last week by rallying to beat Northwestern, an effort that has them No. 23 in the CFP rankings this week but just outside the AP Top 25.
“As we go through the season, we’re growing, we’re building,” Day said. “We’re building some momentum, and then we had this game at USC. If we don’t learn our lesson from this game right here, there’s gonna be a lot of regret in that locker room. So the urgency has gotta be as high as it’s ever been, and everybody has to understand what’s at stake here moving forward.
“And it’s the coach’s job to make sure they understand that, and it’s the leaders’ job who’ve been around here before, that have played here before, that know what it’s like to make sure that they’re relaying that message as well.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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