COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- After a bye week, or what Ohio State is calling "an improvement week," the team returns to the field Saturday to take on Marshall in its final nonconference game of the regular season.
Head coach Ryan Day, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Will Howard addressed the media ahead of Saturday's contest. Among the noteworthy comments that Day made on Tuesday, the head coach confirmed that Donovan Jackson will return to the starting lineup at left guard after missing the first two games of the season due to injury.
"He's ready to roll. As long as he has a good week of practice, he'll be ready to go for Saturday," Day said.
The senior from Cypress, Texas is in his fourth season and is a two-time first team all-Big Ten conference honoree. Considered to be one of the top offensive linemen in the country, Jackson had played all 39 games in the last three seasons and started 26 contests at left guard.
"Donovan came back for a reason. He wants some hardware. He didn't come back to just watch the game on the sidelines," Day said. "It took everything to hold him back from that game. He was available on an emergency role. He could've played."
Day also noted that having a bye week early in the season wasn't ideal but his players made the most of the opportunity to get better and get some rest.
"It is what it is and we're going to have to handle it," Day said. "I felt like we had three hard, physical days out there. Got a chance to step away for a couple of days and watch some games on Saturday. Kinda asked everybody to do that and get some rest. It gives you good perspective."
With no game to play and no obligation to be on the sidelines, Day took advantage of watching multiple college football games on Saturday from the comfort of his living room.
"You bounce from game to game and you just watch," Day said. "You watch the coaches. You watch the players. You watch the demeanor, you watch the body types. You watch the situations and you learn from it. It just gives you great perspective. You don't find yourself in that situation very often that early in the season."
The Buckeyes (2-0) enter Week 4 ranked third in the Associated Press Top 25 after wins over Akron and Western Michigan. Their defense has yet to allow a touchdown, and on offense, their ground game is coming off a six-touchdown performance.
Marshall and Ohio State are coming off bye weeks, with the Thundering Herd 1-1 after a win over Stony Brook and a loss to Virginia Tech.
The game is scheduled to kick off at noon at Ohio Stadium.
