It was easy to miss that Ohio State sustained three injuries to each of its three top offensive guards during the Penn State game.
Starters Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola both sustained what appeared to be minor injuries on Ohio State's final drive of the game, getting rolled up on on separate plays, and the duo was replaced by redshirt freshman Gabe VanSickle and freshman Jake Cook in the game's closing moments.
Josh Padilla, who has rotated with Tshabola at right guard much of the season, got his legs tangled up from behind on CJ Donaldson's fumble at the end of the first half. He was taken to Ohio State's medical tent and did not return to the game.
During his Tuesday press conference, Ryan Day gave an update on the trio. The good news: Two of them are already back practicing. The bad news: One is still under evaluation, though it doesn't appear to be anything long-term. And he didn't specify which one is which.
"I won't specifically mention all three of them, but I do think at least two of three, they'll be back practicing today," Day said. "One of them, we'll have to see as the week goes on, how they do. But we should be at full steam ahead."
Losing any of the trio would be a significant detriment to an Ohio State offensive line still trying to solve some things after inconsistencies in run and pass blocking vs. the Nittany Lions. Julian Sayin came under pressure on 41.7% of his dropbacks against Penn State, per PFF. Ohio State’s rushing numbers got a major boost with Bo Jackson’s 51-yard run in the fourth quarter, but other than that, the Buckeyes picked up just 113 yards on 31 carries, a poor average of 3.6 yards per carry. That said, Day still thought Ohio State did well in pass protection as the game went on.
"When you go against a good defensive line like they have, you know that you've gotta bring it every play," Day said. "I thought there was some plays where Julian was really clean back there. Some longer-developing routes, especially in the second half, where he's able to step into the throw. ... There was the 3rd-down-and-9 where we had instant penetration, then Julian had to make a play with his legs. There were a couple others like that that were too leaky. So, when you're going against good players, that's the challenge, is that we have to play with unbelievable technique. And that's about grading out a champion. So, there were some things that were good, good enough to win the game, but good enough for us to go win every game? I don't know. We'll have to keep working at it."
Montgomery has brought a nasty streak to the offensive line and, while not perfect, has been a major plus on the left side of the front this season. He's now got 10 starts of experience under his belt, including two during last year's College Football Playoff. Padilla has rotated in for 87 snaps this year behind Tshabola.
There was a competition leading up to the Penn State game between Padilla and Tshabola for the starting right guard job after an inconsistent first seven games from the latter. But Day felt it brought out a better level of play from his more seasoned right guard, and that he had his best game vs. the Nittany Lions.
"Was it all perfect? No. But was it better? Yes," Day said. "He's getting to the point in his career where he's played a lot of football, too, so he has to bring a certain level of maturity and preparation to the table. And self-correct on his own and bring self-motivation. But it's our job to make sure we're doing that (giving him the best feedback) for him. As we all know, it's about consistency with Tegra. Because we know he can do it."
Whether only two or all three are ready to rock this Saturday, they and the rest of the offensive line will aim for further improvement at Purdue.
