Keys will manage OSU special teams

Sports BuckEyes Top Stories Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp Former University of Findlay head coach Rob Keys, a senior analyst at Ohio State, will direct the Buckeyes’ special teams the rest of the football season. He replaces Robby Discher, who was fired as OSU’s special teams coordinator on Monday by Ryan Day after a series of blunders by that unit including three special teams penalties in a 30-18 loss to USC and falling for a game-changing fake punt in a 41-28 loss to Oregon State. Discher was in his first season as Ohio State’s special teams coordinator. He came to OSU from the University of Illinois, where he worked with the Illini’s special teams and had some success. “There have just been too many detrimental plays this season that have really hurt the team,” Day said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “It was a difficult decision but something that had to be made.” Keys was Findlay’s coach for 11 seasons before being hired by Ohio State. The Oilers were 75-42 under him. Ohio State will divide the special teams coaching among several assistants, including safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, Keys, and others. FAHEY STILL THE QB: Day said freshman quarterback Luke Fahey will start on Saturday against Northwestern and there are no predetermined plans to to give Tavien St. Clair a few snaps at that position. “Luke is going to be our quarterback and Tavien is one snap away. That mentality has got to to continue to be his mentality. If he can to improve in practice and build enough trust in practice and we feel like he gives us the best chance to win we’ll make that move but we’re not at that point right now. I do not think that moment is not right now,” Day said. Fahey has completed 57 of 88 passes for 620 yards and 5 touchdowns in two starts since Julian Sayin suffered an elbow injury against Indiana on Oct. 17. St. Clair, a former 5-star recruit from Bellefontaine, has thrown seven passes this season and has not played since OSU’s third game of the season against Kent State. TO BOWL OR NOT TO BOWL: It has been suggested that if Ohio State misses out on the College Football Playoff or an upper tier bowl game it might choose not to play in the postseason. Day said he has not given much thought to that idea. “I’m not there at all right now. I know we have certain rules in our conference anyway. To me, this is right now, just win this game, win the next three games then come up for air and figure out where we are,” he said. “We need to bring everybody together today, we need to have a really great practice and go win this game on Saturday and keep it going for the next three games and we’ll kind of figure out what that looks like afterwards.” Featured Local Savings