Chip Kelly Called An 'Okay' Game, Sees Room For Improvement Everywhere

COLUMBUS — Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly met with with reporters for the first time since the Buckeyes opened the season with a 52-6 win over Akron. Kelly discussed his day calling plays, the need to be consistent, the weapons the Buckeyes have, and much more. The highlights of everything he had to say can be found below.

What did you learn about Will Howard as a play maker? He’s shown in the past to be able to make plays with his legs and arm. He’s a versatile quarterback. He has a really good understanding of football. Playing quarterback is so much different than practicing quarterback. You don’t get hit in practice.
Did you like the RB carry split? “43 and 40 would be better” but they won’t get that number of snaps. Carlos Locklyn does a good job of keeping those guys fresh.
Is there something to a RB taking time to get comfortable in a scheme. Yes. Quinshon Judkins did a good job. He can’t block for himself on some of those attempts. But there are a lot of nuances to get comfortable with that they’ll get done early in the season.
How much offense did you keep under wraps? There’s no unveiling or not unveiling, it’s just about dealing with the opponent you’re playing. What would work best against each defense.
They were shaky offensively at the start but then they settled and got a rhythm.
The last time he was in the press box was 2008. They have practiced doing that in the stadium for the two scrimmages. “It’s a great view.” People will eventually be jealous of where he gets to watch the game come October and November. The communication went well. You can see the game better up there but feel it better from the field.
Ryan Day was great during the game. He made some suggestions and Chip Kelly went with them. Feedback was like changing speed/tempo and things like that.
Tegra Tshabola and Austin Siereveld both did a really good job for their first extensive playing time. Everybody was feeling their way through the game. It was the first time in Ohio Stadium for a real game for a lot of guys. It’s a real thing.
What gave you the confidence to draw up so many plays for Jeremiah Smith? “I’ve been here since March.”
How do the helmet communications work practically? The mic is live from the time the previous play ending until there are 15 seconds left on the play clock, but you’re not talking that entire time. You’re coming up with the play, then you want to get it to him as quickly as possible to give him time to look at the defense and make adjustments and decisions. It’s not a conversation because Howard can’t talk back. They just try to give him as much information as possible as quickly as they can without overloading. But there will be multiple plays given at times as well.
You’re just trying to get a yard on the QB sneak. “We’re 1-for-1 on it.” They want to stay above 90% on it.
Do you feel like you called a good game? We were just okay. Could have executed better. Could have been more diverse. You have to be very self aware when you’re done. To go three and out is not good at the start. The deep pass to JJ Smith was a great play but not necessarily a great play call.
What are the conversations like with Will Howard and how have they been in preparation? “They’re really congruous.” Everybody is on the same page. They all know what he likes to do and what he does well. “It’s been really good. He’s mature. He can tell you what he likes and what he doesn’t like.” They can then try it out in practice and see how it works. “It doesn’t matter at all what the coach likes because we’re not playing.”
They don’t call different plays for Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson. They can both do it all. James Peoples fits into the same category. He was impressive in the small number of snaps he had. None of these guys are change-of-pace types.
How does it help you being able to watch Western Michigan play against Wisconsin? It helps because they showed some stuff this year that they didn’t last year. “It’s still 11 on 11.” “We’re not going to try to overcomplicate the game too much if we can.”