Novig pricesOhio State keeps Luke Fahey at quarterback as Urban Meyer questions how Ryan Day used St. Clair
Ryan Day is keeping freshman Luke Fahey as Ohio State's starter against Northwestern, and Urban Meyer says Tavien St. Clair should have played more.
Ohio State will keep freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback for Saturday's home game against Northwestern, even after two straight losses. Urban Meyer, who won a national title in Columbus, says the Buckeyes may have backed themselves into that choice by not giving Tavien St. Clair any game snaps.
Ryan Day made the announcement Tuesday, ESPN reported. "Luke is going to be our quarterback this week," Day said. He added that St. Clair, the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2025 class, is one snap away and has to keep earning trust in practice before he gets a turn. Fahey, a three-star recruit from California, beat out St. Clair for the backup job this summer. He has started since Julian Sayin hurt his throwing arm in the Oct. 17 win at Indiana. ESPN reported that Sayin is not expected back until possibly late in the postseason.
Meyer's criticism, reported by EssentiallySports, came on The Triple Option Podcast. He thought Fahey played acceptably in the 30-18 loss at USC but looked out of place against Oregon. His larger point was that young quarterbacks develop by playing in games, not just practicing. In his view, Ohio State missed a chance to get St. Clair live work and now has little choice but to ride Fahey the rest of the way. Fahey played every snap against the Ducks, even with the Buckeyes trailing by 24 in the fourth quarter. Ohio State led that game 14-0, then gave up 38 straight points and lost 41-28 at home.
Fahey's numbers aren't the main problem. ESPN has him at 57 of 88 for 620 yards, three touchdowns and one interception across the two starts. The bigger issue is finishing drives: Ohio State moved the ball against USC and Oregon but gave up 71 points in the two games. St. Clair is 5 of 7 for one touchdown and one interception, all in September blowouts. The staff is changing in other places, too. ESPN reported that special teams coordinator Robby Discher was fired Monday, and quality control coach Rob Keys will take over the unit.
What it means against Northwestern
The Buckeyes are 6-3 and have lost three times to ranked teams, at Texas, at USC and against Oregon. Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan remain, and Ohio State has little room left if it wants to stay in the Big Ten race. Northwestern's most useful line for comparison is a 29-23 loss at Indiana, the same Hoosiers team Ohio State beat 19-15 in Bloomington.
The board for Saturday's game still has Ohio State as a clear favorite. Across 12 venues, the Buckeyes are favored by 12.5 points on Novig at -106. BetRivers has the best number for Northwestern, +13 at -114. On the moneyline, Ohio State is -441 on Novig, and the best price anywhere is -430 at Kalshi. Northwestern is +388 on Novig. The total sits at 45.5 on Novig, and other venues range from 44.5 to 46.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.7% to 6.4%, so the venues are fairly close on this game.
That total fits what Ohio State's offense has looked like without Sayin. If Fahey can't turn yardage into points against a mid-tier Big Ten defense, the calls for St. Clair to play will get louder, from Meyer and from others.