After trouncing Rutgers on the road last week, Ohio State looking for another dominant performance this week, but this time in the 'Shoe as Maryland heads to Columbus for a noon homecoming showdown.
Ahead of Saturday's game, Buckeye head coach Ryan Day took to his final weekly media availabilities on Thursday afternoon, joining his weekly radio show on 97.1 The Fan and briefly meeting with the media to offer some final updates.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson joined the show for the final segment.
Here are some of the highlights.
Ryan Day Radio Show
Ryan Day
On the team's improvement
- Day said Ohio State is a "very different team" than the start of the season.
- "I think we took another step last week and we gotta keep building."
- "It's good early in the season when your team has a couple of scars on them."
On C.J. Stroud's performance
- Day praised Stroud's toughness.
- "We talked all week about toughness."
- Day notes that he tucked the ball and ran a few times.
- "He found the rhythm of the game pretty early."
- Day notes that he has good pieces around him, and if he plays within the offense he'll be good.
On Marcus Williamson
- "What a great week of practice he had."
- Day said the previous week he was a little distracted, but he let go of all of that.
- "He played with unbelievable energy on the field."
- "He played probably his best game as a Buckeye."
On freshmen on the travel roster
- "These guys are all learning."
- "The future is extremely bright here."
- "We are going to come out of the back end of this really, really good."
On the crowd noise
- "They had a good crowd there."
- "They were bringing it early."
- Day said they were able to turn the momentum early and take the crowd out of it.
On Ronnie Hickman
- "A month or so ago, not many people knew about Ronnie Hickman."
- Day notes he's "someone we can count on going forward."
On Craig Young
- "Craig has a really good skill set."
- Day notes he's versatile and has played linebacker and safety and in some hybrid third-round sets.
- "If he just keeps putting one day in front of the other, this thing's all going to work out for Craig."
- "His future is really bright."
On Jeremy Ruckert
- "It was good to get the ball in his hands."
- "He's become a really well-rounded player."
- Day notes that when you have a tight end like that, it opens things up for other players.
On shuffling the offensive line
- "The chemistry of that offensive line unit has been special."
- "They have a great demeanor about them."
- "Not a lot of egos in that room, and because of that they play at a high level."
- "Good to see a lot of guys to get some reps."
On Maryland
- "Very athletic, very skilled."
- Day notes that Mike Locksley has brought in a lot of talent and "changed that roster."
- "They have a lot of athleticism. They're fast."
- "A lot of skill."
On Maryland coming off of a lopsided loss
- "I think anytime you come off of a game like that, you tighten up."
- "When you turn the ball over the way that they did, things get out of control really quick."
- Day said sometimes the scoreboard is not indicative of the talent of a team.
- "This is a team that's going to come in hungry to play. They're dangerous."
On TreVeyon Henderson
- "You can see the big-play ability."
- Day said they practiced it exactly like that in practice.
- "I thought Tre ran hard again."
- "He does a lot of great things in space."
- Day notes that it was good to not have to play him in the second half, but "he was healthy."
- "He's got top-end speed."
- Day said guys believe that Ohio State can score at any point.
On runs after the catch
- "I think we did some decent run after the catch, open-field running."
- "I think that we're gaining in that area."
- "When we get the ball in space to some of our guys, they have a chance to make a play."
On running back depth
- "I think Master (Teague) has been running hard."
- "I thought Marcus (Crowley) ran violently."
On if homecoming changes anything
- "No, not really."
- "Every game is big, and every game is important."
- But Day notes that it's special to have former players returning, though.
On Jantzen Dunn's injury
- Day notes that Dunn's injury is a "long-term injury."
- "He was really coming on as a young guy."
- Day said that they'll surround him with some guys who've been through some of the same sorts of recovery to help him along.
Kevin Wilson
On watching his son Toby Wilson play on Saturday
- "I was actually kinda nervous," Wilson said, fearing some bad snaps.
- "He came here for him," Wilson notes, saying he did not pressure him to go to Ohio State.
- Wilson said Toby wants to be a coach.
- "I don't try to do him any favors. I treat him like the other guys."
On Maryland
- "I think this team is more talented than the Rutgers team."
- Wilson said there's a new defensive coordinator, so there's still not a ton of film on them.
- "They've got good players."
On Jeremy Ruckert
- Wilson said you can't force the ball to anybody.
- "Sometimes, it naturally needs to happen."
- Wilson notes that Ruckert plays very well even when he doesn't get the ball.
- "He's become a complete blocker. He's very unselfish."
On the backups
- On Rossi: "He's really a fullback by trade."
- "We really need Cade, Joe and Gee to get on schedule."
- "They're on track to get there, but they're a few months away from where they need to be."
- "They need to be ready to answer the call here very soon."
Ryan Day Media Availability
- Day said he wants C.J. Stroud to continue to build toughness, make great decisions and have great preparation this week. He isn’t challenging Stroud to do anything specifically different from last week.
- Day said that while it is important for Ohio State to take some momentum into the bye week and the second half of the season, he won’t talk to the team about that until Saturday’s game; right now, he wants the team’s full focus to be on just winning Saturday’s game.
- The Buckeyes trust Emeka Egbuka as their kickoff returner and Day believes Egbuka is capable of making big plays in that capacity.
- On the play of the defensive line: “When you look at the pressure we're starting to get, it's exciting.”
- Day said he believes the key for Sevyn Banks to play his best is to practice better. He agrees with Banks’ assessment from Wednesday that we haven’t seen Banks’ best football yet this year.
- On Ronnie Hickman: “I think he’s starting to establish himself as a player. I think he’s starting to establish his voice and his leadership … when he speaks, people listen.”
- Day said Matt Barnes is a “really good teacher, he understands schematic football, he connects with his players and he’s well-organized.”
- Asked whether the lack of home night games has impacted recruiting, Day hinted that Ohio State could have another night game this year: “I think we’re gonna have some night games here moving forward too, so I think there will be opportunities for guys to come visit when they want to … Hopefully there’s gonna be more opportunities as we head into the middle of October and November.”
- Day is disappointed for Jantzen Dunn that he’s injured, but Day said “I think he’s got a very bright future ahead of him.”
