The clock’s running hot ahead of the Cotton Bowl, with the Miami Hurricanes staring down their toughest matchup. Turns out that Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes are sweating, too. He has turned to full lab mode, swapping jersey numbers and simulating chaos as part of the Bowl game prep. But the freshmen stole the show.

“Ohio State is in the thick of preparing for Miami, and that includes a loaded scout team helping the offense and defense gear up to face the Hurricanes best players,” reported Ohio State insider Spencer Holbrook on December 26. 

Day’s freshman quarterback and former five-star Tavien St. Clair slid into No. 11 this week. He’s serving as the practice-squad stand-in for Miami veteran Carson Beck.

“Carson Beck is as talented as there is,” Urban Meyer had sounded an alarm for the Buckeyes on The Triple Option podcast. “I made a comment that that was going to be the most important game of his career. I’m going to follow up with the most important game of his career. Draft status is being determined here right now against NFL quality defenses.”

Led by the calm command of Beck, the Hurricanes walked straight into a cauldron for their playoff opener at Texas A&M Aggies, and never flinched. Beck piloted Miami with poise, capping a surgical fourth-quarter drive with the game-winning touchdown as the Canes stunned the Aggies.

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Given Beck’s poise under pressure, Day is leaving nothing to chance in his preparations.

The grade was ugly, but the tape had layers. While Beck’s PFF grade from that game was a nasty 46.3, the tape showed a quarterback who protected the ball against a relentless front. It’s a precise skill set that Day is tasking his scout team to replicate.

Every FBS squad leans on scout teams to mimic their next foe. But things are a bit different for Day’s program. While most programs roll out walk-ons and bench warmers, the Buckeyes throw former five-stars and elite freshmen into the mix.

In that case, they can match opponents speed-for-speed, arm-for-arm, giving Ohio State a luxury few programs can claim. Day appointed quarterback Eli Brickhandler, who sported the No. 10, taking reps as Miami’s lightning-fast playmaker Malachi Toney, who’s already thrown seven passes and racked up two touchdowns this season.

It’s the same Malachi “Waldo” Toney who derailed the Pittsburgh Panthers’ ACC Championship dreams. Not to box him as just a wideout, he’s a Swiss Army knife on the field. What are the numbers that Day must be replaying in his head?

Against Pittsburgh, he had a season high of 13 catches for 126 yards and one score, five carries for 30 yards, and 1-for-2 passing with a 9-yard touchdown.

On defense, Epi Sitanilei and Joshua Mickens donned No. 3 scout jerseys to mimic Akheem Mesidor, while Eric Mensah took reps as the Hurricanes’ defensive tackle Justin Scott.

Meanwhile, not just the players, Day himself is bringing a change to his role before the big game.

Ryan Day holds the offensive reins

Day is taking the reins of Ohio State’s offense in the College Football Playoff, starting with the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal showdown against Miami on December 31.

It’s not like the newly appointed South Florida Bulls’ head coach, Brian Hartline, was dialing duds all season. Ohio State averaged 34.9 points per game and boasted one of the nation’s top offenses.

But when the Indiana Hoosiers stifled them for just 10 points in the Big Ten title game, Buckeye fans needed a target, and Hartline took the maximum heat. Now, what about Day trying his hand this time? Meyer shared his thoughts on the situation by taking examples from his own experience.

“The last two national championships, we were part of the first one at Florida,” said the former coach. “Dan Mullen left to become the head coach at Mississippi State, and I made the decision to bring him back to call plays. I had to stay on top of it. Then Tom Herman left to be the head coach at Houston, and I brought him back, and you have to stay on it.”

That said, Meyer has complete confidence in Day. Under his guidance, Ohio State’s offense has finished top three nationally in scoring three times, churned out 14 first-round picks, and even produced a couple of Heisman finalists.

Amid Ryan Day’s intense simulation drills, even offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola hit the field in a knee brace. Now, it’s time to see how the Buckeyes’ prep pays off against Miami.