With quarterback Julian Sayin out indefinitely due to an apparent injury to his throwing arm, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said both Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair will get first-team reps in practice during the Buckeyes' off week.
"Going into the last few games, Luke's been ahead of Tavien, in terms of what we've seen," Day said. "That's why he went in first. But now we have to come up for air and put together a plan. So, we need both the guys to practice really well."
When Sayin got hurt with 7:38 remaining in OSU's road win over Indiana on Oct. 17, Fahey went in for the Buckeyes' final two drives. He was 0-for-2 passing and logged -2 rushing yards.
But moving forward, Day is keeping his options open.
"Ultimately, it's going to be my decision," Day said on Oct. 20. "There's a lot that goes with it, the quarterback position. So, it's obviously a big decision."
St. Clair, a five-star recruit out of Bellefontaine, Ohio, was expected to be the backup behind Sayin this season, but Day revealed at preseason camp that the sophomore was competing with Fahey for the second-string role.
Fahey, a four-star recruit out of Mission Viejo, California, had done enough to pull ahead by the season-opener, and he was the signal caller who replaced Sayin in the third quarter against Ball State.
The 5-foot-11 freshman played a total of seven drives against the Cardinals and then Kent State, recording 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. St. Clair also played in those two games, entering both in the fourth quarter, appearing in four drives, recording 52 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Day is utilizing the extra week before traveling to face USC on Oct. 31 to evaluate.
"If this wasn't a bye week, we'd have to roll right now," Day said. "Kind of like in the game, you have to make the decision. Luke went in the game, we went rolling. This gives us a couple of days to sort of get some reps ... but we're going to have to get this thing organized quickly."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Are Luke Fahey, Tavien St. Clair competing for Ohio State's starting QB role?