Redshirt freshman guard Austin Siereveld made quite the impression on the Ohio State coaching staff, in his two games in place of starting senior guard Donovan Jackson, who was facing an injury at the time. Siereveld had such an impact, that head coach Ryan Day has been persistent about getting him playing time, even now that Jackson has come back to the team fully healthy.
Siereveld was part of a dominant offensive line effort in week two that saw the Buckeyes dominate Western Michigan 56-0 in a game the team ran for 273 yards on 39 attempts.
Day made true of his promise in the team’s 49-14 win over Marshall on Sept. 21 when Siereveld split snaps with first-year starting guard Tegra Tshabola, though, Tshabola started in the game.
The plan certainly worked well for the Ohio State coaching staff, as the team once again had plenty of success with its ground game, going for 280 yards on 31 carries.
The consistent rotation of players can have its pros and cons and often can be difficult to maintain chemistry along the offensive line, but according to Day, the team’s similar routine in practice has neutralized that concern.
“I think giving both of them a chance to catch their breath for a series or two is actually a good thing for a young player,” Day said. “We look at that during the week. We’ll rotate those guys during the week so that there’s chemistry (on the right side of the offensive line) and both of those guys when they’re in there.
Going forward, Day seems ready to stay the course on the rotation of the right guard position, where Tshabola will start the game but both players will play throughout the game.
“I think both of those guys deserve to play,” Day said. “I mentioned that last week, and they both did. We’ll continue to evaluate it and grade and make sure, but we all know we’re going to need these guys. And that’s the thing, whether it’s (running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins) or Austin and Tegra, these guys are team players, and they want to win. That’s the number one thing here. It isn’t about statistics or anything like that.”
