A matchup between Ohio State and Northwestern typically does not garner many intriguing storylines, but this year’s contest between the two Big Ten programs might be the exception, mostly due to the location of the game.
For the first time in its history, Ohio State will play a football game at historic 118-year-old Wrigley Field against the Wildcats Saturday afternoon in Chicago, intertwining one of the more storied programs in college football with one of the more storied ballparks in the country.
It is a unique opportunity for the second-ranked Buckeyes that head coach Ryan Day said he and his team are fully embracing.
“First off, (there’s) great tradition,” Day said during his weekly press conference held at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday when asked about his team playing at Wrigley Field. “Growing up going to Fenway Park and being around baseball and seeing some of the great games played in that stadium, then as I got older I got to see the Cubs play in Wrigley. Just the surrounding area and the restaurants that are in the area, it just has a great vibe there in that neighborhood.
“It’s a very unique place with an unbelievable history, so it’s a great opportunity for us.”
With that uniqueness in mind, Day said that the team will head to Wrigley Field the day before the game on Friday to take in the scenery and get their bearings before they play the following day. Although there won’t be much time on gameday to truly reflect on the history of the ballpark they are playing in, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said Friday will be the time for him to truly bask in their surroundings of the storied ballpark.
“I will Friday, because we’re actually going to get to the stadium and get a chance to kind of look around and see what it looks like,” Kelly said when asked if he will think about the history of the ballpark. “It’ll be fun. I think everybody is excited about playing this game.”
Another unique factor of the Buckeyes playing in a baseball ballpark are the different playing dimensions inside the venue. In addition to the game being played on natural grass — which Ohio State is not used to with its home playing field being turf — the out of bounds behind the end zones will be much smaller than normal, as evidenced in a recent Twitter video that revealed what the field will look like on Saturday.
While these changes could take some getting used to, Day said his team are not thinking about that and are simply focused on the goal at hand — getting another win against a Big Ten opponent in November.
“I’ve been a part of teams that played at Yankee Stadium and then over in San Francisco (at Oracle Park) where the Giants play, and it is different,” Day said. “It’s a different feel. But it’s a great opportunity for our team. Ultimately, there’ll be 100 yards of football field, there will be fans on both sides, and we’ll compete. So we’re excited about it, and we will be practicing on the grass this week to simulate what it’ll be like there.”
