Ohio State will use the same format for its 2023 spring game as it did in 2022.
Much like it did a year ago, Ohio State’s 2023 spring game will function as an offense vs. defense scrimmage, with the offense representing the Scarlet team and the defense representing the Gray. Instead of a traditional game in which teams alternate possessions, the Scarlet team will always be on offense while the Gray team will always be on defense.
While scoring for the Scarlet team will be traditional, the defense will receive points for takeaways (three points), three-and-outs (three points), sacks (two points) and forced punts (one point) in addition to six points for any defensive touchdowns.
Quarterbacks will wear black non-contact jerseys and will not be tackled, but the rest of the game will be live tackling with the exception of the first couple of series for the first-team units, where plays will be whistled dead after a “thud.” That will allow the Buckeyes to be cautious with players like running back Miyan Williams, who Ryan Day said Wednesday is among those who will only be available for the thud drives before the Buckeyes begin tackling.
The game will kick off at 12:05 p.m. and will feature a 10-minute halftime. The first three quarters will each be 12-15 minutes long with play clock stoppages while the fourth quarter will feature a 10-minute running clock.
While Ohio State has split up its offensive and defensive players into separate teams in some past spring games, Day said the decision to keep the offense and defense together was made so that players can rotate in and out freely and to mitigate depth issues at positions where the Buckeyes won’t have as many players available.
“We're in pretty decent shape. But we want to make sure that we have enough depth,” Day said. “So the plan is ones versus ones, twos versus twos. The first couple of drives with the ones will be thud. But everything else will be live. So when the twos are out there, and after the first couple drives with the ones, that will go right to live. And then we'll play four quarters. Might be running a little bit in the fourth quarter or the second half, but the goal is to get these guys out there and be live, get them in front of a good crowd.”
Saturday’s game will be televised on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters, Joshua Perry and Brooke Fletcher commentating and will be broadcast live on 97.1 The Fan with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey on the radio call. Tickets for the spring game, starting at $7 for general admission with reserved seating available for $15 and $30, are still available on Ticketmaster.
Ohio State is encouraging fans attending the game to “plan ahead, arrive early and be patient.” All gameday parking lots except West Stadium (permit only) and North St. John Arena (ADA parking) will be free and open to the public, but Cannon Drive adjacent to Ohio Stadium is closed between 12th Avenue and John Herrick Drive due to construction, as is the Herrick Bridge.
