Ohio State's Kerry Coombs calls this season 'hardest stretch' of his career

After Oregon blasted No. 6 Ohio State with a 400+ yard performance on the ground, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day took the play-calling duties away from defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and moved him up to the booth to coach. Day slid Matt Barnes into the sideline play-calling role.

On Saturday, while OSU quarterback CJ Stroud and the offense put up 66 points on Maryland, the Buckeyes defense held the Terps to just 335 yards of offense, with only 56 coming on the ground. The defense picked off Maryland quarterback Tauila Tagovailoa twice on the day.

The win over Maryland was the fourth-straight for the Buckeyes since the debacle against Oregon, and Ohio State is now sitting at 5-1. They have had three consecutive defensive performances holding opponents to under 20 points in the game.

After the Terps game, Day gave Coombs the game ball for the performance on the day.

On Tuesday, Coombs talked about the transition upstairs and the change in calling plays.

Kerry Coombs at the podium for the first time since Matt Barnes become defensive play caller.

“This has been the hardest stretch of my professional career,” Coombs said, but he's trusted in his faith. Said handling it has been “a work in progress” but he was never going to quit.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) October 12, 2021

Kerry Coombs says he's "gonna be here for the remainder of the season" to fight through everything with his players.

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 12, 2021