After six wins in the first six games, Ohio State is unbeaten at the midway point of the regular season slate and now get its first of two bye weeks this season.
The Buckeyes don't play on Saturday, but that didn't keep Ryan Day off the radio waves as the Ohio State head coach joined 97.1 The Fan for his weekly Ryan Day Show.
Day discussed the bye week, the gritty 34-10 win over Michigan State, the stadium atmosphere, and more.
Here are the highlights.
On the bye week
- Ryan Day said they meet with each individual player during the bye week
- "Its a great time to get a self assessment of where each guy's at and each unit's at"
- They get to tell people some exact things they need to improve on.
On facing adversity against Michigan State
- "That's a team that's tough – Michigan State has been."
- Day said they had a clunky start, with the overthrown pass to the tight end, dropped pass by Binjimen Victor and run called back due to holding.
- "We had some big plays – didn't make them."
- "Just because you have a bad play doesn't mean you're having a bad game or you're a bad player."
- Day was impressed with how his team responded to adversity.
On handling blitzes
- "First and second down is very different than third down and the red zone."
- Day said Michigan State brought a lot of different blitzes on third down that they didn't do a good job picking up.
- "Moving forward, we have to be a little cleaner in that area."
On Ryan Day being a celebrity
- "I don't think it's any tougher, but there's more attention."
- "People are great for the most part. A lot of pictures – people like pictures."
- "As time goes on, there's more and more going on."
- "That's okay, it's part of it. We've embraced that as a family."
On the blackout
- "Unbelievable. What a great atmosphere for all of Buckeye Nation and our players to experience."
- "The atmosphere was off the charts."
- "Everything you expected it to be in the Horseshoe on a night like that."
On Luke Farrell's touchdown
- "It's great to see Luke (Farrell) get a touchdown."
- "The play itself – it wasn't exactly how we drew it up."
- Day praised Justin Fields' ability to find him and Luke Farrell's ability to get the ball in the end zone.
- "Luke is a stronger human than he gives himself credit for."
On Binjimen Victor's touchdown
- Ryan Day said they've spent a lot of time designing and setting up that play.
- "That was something we had ready for about three weeks but the time wasn't right."
- Day said they've set it up before with Justin Fields keeping the ball instead.
On Binjimen Victor responding from his drop
- "We're going back to you. You have to have a short memory.
- Day said in the past, Victor might have let the drop affect him, but it didn't this time.
- "Hats off to him."
On the offensive line
- Day said they have four tackles they feel good about playing and a fifth is "coming along."
- "We count all the knockdowns, and they take a lot of pride in their knockdowns."
- "We try to get as many knockdowns as we can and try to emphasize finishing."
- Day said Thayer Munford probably played the best game of his career.
On the bye week schedule
- Everything will be moved up a day in terms of practice, because the next game is on a Friday.
- Day said the players have Thursday, Friday and Saturday off, but have to be back by noon on Sunday.
On Jordan Fuller
- Ryan Day praised Jordan Fuller's discipline.
- Day explained that Fuller's discipline and development is the reason why he's so successful, because he's gotten better once he got to the next level and talent got equated.
- "He's such a role model for all the young guys."
- "What a great example of someone who is living his life the right way."
On the linebackers
- "We've got some good depth there."
- Day acknowledged that it became a bit of a logjam when they moved Jahsen Wint and Brendon White to the bullet/strongside linebacker position.
- "I think they're playing with speed and playing with toughness."
On defending tight ends
- "Pete Wener is a linebacker but he can really cover guys."
- "That's also where the bullet guys come into play."
- Day said guys like Brendan White have a combination of speed and size
On the cornerbacks
- Day praised both Cameron Brown and Sevyn Banks for stepping up when Damon Arnette left with an injury.
- "I think both of those guys have grown."
- Day said it's encouraging to lose a starter and be able to rotate two bench players into the game "without missing a beat."
On Drue Chrisman
- "When you're playing the game of field position, it's really, really important."
- Day praised the punt coverage for forcing fair catches and not allowing a single return yard.
On if he wants high school championship games returning to Ohio Stadium
- "Yes."
- Day said they've had meetings to get that to happen.
- "Anybody who plays high school football in the state of Ohio should want to play in the Horseshoe."
- "I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen."
