Ohio State’s defensive captain needed late-night texts and ‘almost a fistfight’ to miss senior day
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Not surprisingly, Ohio State football linebacker Tommy Eichenberg would not go down without a fight.
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said the second-year captain was available to play Saturday in a 37-3 victory over Minnesota. However, he made the call to hold the St. Ignatius grad and last year’s second-team All-American out with an eye on having him at full capacity next week against Michigan.
He did, however, have to sell Eichenberg on that prudent course of action.
“I had to pull him back, and it was almost a fist fight — but I won,” Day said. “I’ll be honest: It took some late night texts last night. I mean, he wanted to play. This is a guy who has put so much into this program, coming back for senior day. For him not to be out there was really hard for Tommy. Really hard.
“But I just explained to him there’s just too much on the line moving forward to risk any kind of setback; that we need him at his best. After some calming down, he was okay.”
Eichenberg suffered an apparent left-arm injury in the fourth quarter of a Nov. 4 victory at Rutgers. He did not play last week against Michigan State. He was seen after practice Wednesday, coming off the field with a large brace on that arm.
Eichenberg leads the defense in tackles for the second consecutive season. His presence was unnecessary to hold Minnesota to 159 total yards and 3 for 12 on third down.
However, it may be crucial next week against a Michigan offense with two talented running backs and one of the Big Ten’s best offensive lines.
“It was not easy for him to not play in this game, and that was my decision,” Day said. “He was ready to go. He pushed himself to get to a point, but he’ll have another great week of practice and be at 100% for next week.”
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