Highlights From Ohio State Fall Camp Scrimmage No. 1

With rain in the forecast Saturday morning, Ohio State moved its eighth practice of fall camp, originally scheduled for Coffey Road Park’s grass fields, to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center’s indoor turf as the Buckeyes began their first scrimmage.

While training camp remains closed to the media as OSU’s independent board investigates head coach Urban Meyer, the football program’s Twitter page released several clips from practice drills and scrimmage plays.

Primarily from apparent looks with the first- and second-team units on the field, who stood out?

Okudah’s Strong Showing

With what appeared to be first-team units on both sides of the ball, sophomore cornerback Jeffrey Okudah broke up a pass from sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins intended for junior wide receiver Austin Mack. Long and athletic at 6-1 and 199 pounds, Okudah timed the throw perfectly when he got up and extended with his right hand, preventing Haskins’ would-be completion to Mack along the right sideline.

Sophomore safety Isaiah Pryor, junior linebacker Malik Harrison, sophomore defensive end Chase Young and junior defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones were the other noticeable defenders with Okudah on the field. Haskins and Mack were joined by junior Michael Jordan (left guard), fifth-year senior Brady Taylor (center) and senior Isaiah Prince (right tackle) among the verifiable players in position for the offense.

Right Place Riep

Haskins was in again at quarterback, but he appeared to be with the second-team units. On a pass over the middle, sophomore safety Amir Riep stepped right in front of the intended target and took the interception five yards the other way prior to the play’s cut near sophomore running back Mitch Rossi and freshman cornerback Cameron Brown.

Freshman defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste, fifth-year senior linebacker Dante Booker, freshman linebacker Teradja Mitchell and sophomore safety Brendon White were the other confirmed defenders on the field with Riep. Haskins had juniors Joshua Alabi and Branden Bowen among the pictured offensive linemen, while freshman tight end Jeremy Ruckert and freshman running back Master Teague were included with Rossi as the other viewable players in for the offense.

Haskins Hits Mack

On another snap with apparent first-team units, Haskins and Mack connected for a touchdown down the left sideline against freshman cornerback Tyreke Johnson. Protected by Jordan as freshman defensive tackle Taron Vincent pressured up the middle, Haskins found Mack, who kept control despite a late attempt by Johnson to knock the ball loose on the way down. Presumably at left tackle, sophomore Thayer Munford was seen in the background after he held his block.

Harris Dusts Brown

The lone highlight with Tate Martell at quarterback came with what appeared to be second-team units, but the redshirt freshman flashed on a touchdown strike over the middle to Jaylen Harris. At 6-5 and 215 pounds, the sophomore wide receiver possesses intangibles to become a red-zone threat.

In the clip, however, he did his damage on a crisp route against Brown in coverage. Harris beat Brown by about five yards, while sophomore safety Brendon White trailed him into the end zone. Teague was also on the field for the offense.

Williams Plows Petit-Frere

During a drill that likely came before the scrimmage, defensive end Alex Williams and offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere went head up in a matchup between two freshmen from the 2018 recruiting class. The 6-7, 260-pound Williams blew by for an emphatic win on the rep as he pinned the 6-5, 288-pound Petit-Frere firmly on his back.

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