CLEVELAND, Ohio — Parker Fleming, the special teams coordinator for Ohio State football, defends a team he feels is playing hard and has made small but significant contributions to the team’s 10-0 start.
He will not, however, contend that a solid kick coverage and a kicking and punting game that is largely dependable mask the recurring problems that have emerged over the previous two months. He said it is his responsibility to fix those errors.
“The one-shot pieces? We must improve,” Fleming declared. “We must get rid of those. It’s our responsibility to shift the position of the field and make explosives when the chance arises; we’ve accomplished some of that. We’ve won, you think, based on the net field position in a number of games?
People don’t give a damn about that since the big things are unachievable. They are correct, too. Certain situations we have are unfit for your team.
After weeks of waiting, a group of reporters finally sat down to question Fleming. Regarding the miscommunication that resulted in punter Jesse Mirco’s fake punt run at Rutgers, he declined to provide specifics. (He implied he didn’t want to reveal the schematic read Mirco made on the play by saying, “We’re still playing games.”
The string began against Maryland with an odd punt snap that was never successful. It continued last week when OSU called a timeout due to what looked to be confusion on the punt team’s alignment.
Day has mentioned miscommunication a few times in relation to special teams since the previous season. Georgia and Michigan both had fake punts called against Ohio State. The first was a missed call, so it never happened. A timeout stopped the second attempt, but even if it had gone through, it might have been called back to allow for 12 players on the field.
Situations involving special teams arise in a variety of ways, so Fleming stated, “We really try and work and fight to cross all of those bridges before we get there.” Obviously, we haven’t performed well enough.
After being screened, some of them sort themselves out. Of course, a few of them don’t. Whenever something goes wrong, I ask myself, “Hey, did I prepare us?” whenever something goes wrong. Have I readied myself? Was my coaching effective enough? What happens if it doesn’t appear? Nope. No, is the response.”
Things got so bad two weeks ago that Day was asked if he had thought about switching up the unit’s leadership. Though that call was made just two games into the season, he accomplished that with the defense in 2021. When November arrives for a team atop the College Football Playoff standings, such choices become more challenging.
Fleming has the right to draw attention to accomplishments that don’t get the same attention as a mistake. He brought up the two different kickoffs in the season opener when Indiana had to start inside its own 10 after Styles was called for penalties in coverage. Jermaine Mathews, a true freshman, is gaining notoriety for his ability to make plays on special teams.
However, the negative moments have been so noticeable that supporters no longer have faith in the team’s ability to pull off a pivotal play in a close game. When asked about this doubt, Fleming said he didn’t guarantee perfection. Going forward, he pledged even more diligence.
We can’t let that happen, so who knows? Maybe I’ll go inside and take that, consider it, and process it a little bit,” Fleming remarked. That is the simple reality. We make every effort to position our guys and our team so they can play their hardest for this group in the locker room. Nobody is here attempting to avoid performing.
“But other than, you know, it’s heard, that’s something we look at and evaluate all the time, and I really don’t have a great answer for you.”
