Ohio State has one of the most dangerous weapons in college football in Jeremiah Smith, but even a superstar wide receiver needs the right quarterback to unlock his full potential. With questions surrounding who will take over under center, head coach Ryan Day faces a decision that could shape the Buckeyes’ offensive identity. Now, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt has offered Curt Cignetti’s aggressive approach as a potential blueprint for how Day can keep Ohio State’s offense firing.

“I talked about this with Curt Cignetti on Monday,” Klatt said on his podcast on October 29. “That’s the way I think Ohio State should attack this game.”

After Sayin’s injury, the Buckeyes have been in quite a conundrum. Ohio State needs to decide who will be Sayin’s replacement and whether that quarterback can perform well enough to effectively utilize Smith. Even though Smith is the anchor of the Buckeyes, he still needs a quarterback capable of throwing accurate passes. The quality of the backup’s arm talent and decision-making could significantly impact Smith’s receiving opportunities and overall offensive explosiveness.

That’s why Klatt urged Day to consider Cignetti’s approach heading into their upcoming clash against the Trojans, which could offer a valuable lesson.

“The offensive game plan for Ohio State for me, has got to be flexible,” Klatt explained the “attack strategy” on his podcast. “You have to understand that you have to play the game offensively. The way that your defense allows you to play the game offensively. You can’t go in with some aggressive game plan and all of a sudden create short fields for your defense. You have to allow your defense to dictate what you need to do offensively. That’s a play the game in front of you.”

This strategy is what Klatt discussed with Cignetti on his podcast on Monday. By directly addressing Day, Klatt urged the Ohio State coach to listen to that episode for insights on approaching the upcoming matchup.

Klatt believes Ohio State should prioritize field position with whoever takes over at quarterback. If the Buckeyes focused simply on gaining two first downs per possession, regardless of who is running the offense, that approach would eventually move them into scoring position.

This strategy could eventually win the field position battle and force USC to operate from a disadvantaged position, ultimately leading to victory. Klatt’s formula was straightforward: two first downs per possession for whatever quarterback lines up for Ohio State. And that is why Klatt confidently predicted.

“Ohio State 20, USC 10. I am saying Ohio State,” he concluded.

So Klatt’s advice is simple: focus on the game at that time rather than proving a point; the focus should be on winning rather than the narrative around it. While the Hoosiers sit with a 7-1 record, the Buckeyes are on a 6-1 record. Their performance so far has been steady after their loss to the Longhorns.

Even though the question lingers about who will be Ohio State’s QB1, head coach Day has his own strategies. He wants his team to attack and take chances, but only when those risks make sense.

“We can’t just crawl up into a ball and just hope to win the game 6-3,” Day told the reporters during a presser. “If we have to win a game, we will. But we also can’t be reckless.”

Day’s comment was linked to how Indiana performed against Michigan, as the offense was struggling to move the ball. Instead of taking risky chances on fourth down, Cignetti often sent the punting team onto the field. Cignetti doesn’t care whether Indiana wins through spectacular offensive plays or a defensive battle. His priority is simply to win.

Day’s philosophies can’t be questioned, as their 19-15 victory ended Indiana’s run of 22 consecutive wins. Day’s approach aims to avoid unnecessary risks in certain situations, but attack decisively when there is a good opportunity to score. It has been working well in his favor so far. However, only time will tell if the new QB1 will be able to take on the responsibility or not.

The post Ryan Day Urged to Follow Curt Cignetti’s Approach as Julian Sayin Replacement Could Hurt Jeremiah Smith’s Game: “Attack” appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.