Stroud started the first three games for the Buckeyes, but to rest a sore shoulder the redshirt freshman did not practice last week or play in their win over Akron.
Day said Tuesday before practice early returns were positive, and that was still the case after the redshirt freshman and the Buckeyes worked on the field Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
“I thought he knocked a little bit of the rust off Tuesday at the beginning of practice and then finally got into a rhythm about halfway through Tuesday,” Day said, “and then he had a good day yesterday.”
Kyle McCord started in Stroud’s place last week and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after completing 13 of 19 passes for 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns with an interception.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Is Ryan Day’s team ready for return to Big Ten play? https://t.co/SsOGArUkYa
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) September 28, 2021
Stroud completed 63 of 101 passes for 963 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions in the first three games. He leads the Big Ten in yards per completion (15.9) and is fourth in the conference in passer efficiency.
Day, who called McCord’s performance inconsistent after the coach graded the film, said getting game experience was valuable for the true freshman and redshirt freshman Jack Miller III, who also threw his first college pass against the Zips.
“These guys now have been in games before, so that’s good,” Day said. “We still have to play more to have a body of work, but it’s good for them to have a reference point of what the consequences are of doing something or not doing something, or the rewards from preparing or not preparing or whatever those things are because you don’t quite really understand what it is in practice until you get into a game.
“Some good lessons learned there.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Ohio State at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m., BTN, 1410
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