With Penn State in the rearview and Nebraska waiting in the wings, a pair of Buckeye coaches took to the podium at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to address questions from the media Tuesday.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was up first at the mic, with wide receivers coach Brian Hartline following shortly thereafter. Here's everything Day and Hartline discussed Tuesday, ahead of the Buckeyes' ninth game of the season.
Ryan Day
- On the CFP rankings: "I don't really say much about it. I know it's great for college football. Nobody talks about who was ranked at Week 9 or 10. ... If we want to be ranked, we got to keep winning."
- Day says he's watched Nebraska's film and that the Huskers are "very good." "I've been very impressed with them, they've been doing a great job. ... This is gonna be a battle." "This is a very, very good Nebraska team that we have to be ready for."
- On Steele Chambers: "It's a unique situation in that it was the first play of the second half." Day thinks the targeting rule should be changed to a 30-minute penalty, rather than an amount of halves penalty, because there is some "inequity" with the rule.
- On Stroud not running the ball much, Day says he thought his quarterback "made pretty good decisions" and "did a pretty good job extending plays" against Penn State. Day says there weren't many plays where he thought Stroud should have made a different decision.
- On the Chambers targeting call: "I just feel like in real time, it was a very different call." Day says "the rule is in place for the right reasons, but I also think there's a difference between what's going on in real time and what's being shown on replay."
- Day says "we could've executed much better, certainly in some of the short-yardage situations." Day says there were some "schematic things" that Ohio State could've done better. "You have to run the ball well in the red zone."
- "We've experienced a lot so far, and I think that's good for a young team." Day says the Buckeyes have had big wins and a big loss this season, and that the experience Ohio State has gained bodes well for their chances at being championship material.
- Day says "you can't just throw it 70% of the time or else you're not gonna control the game."
- Day says Nebraska has a very good defense, and that the offense is second in the conference in total yardage.
- On not having many offensive players grade out as champions against Penn State: "In order for you to be a champion, you have to play over 15 snaps and grade over 80%. We had one guy on offense."
- "If you start looking ahead, that's when you start getting distracted. We've got to stay focused."
- Day says the Buckeyes "have a chance to be really good" and that he hopes the Penn State win "catapults" Ohio State into a strong performance against Nebraska.
- Day on Palaie Gaoteote: "I think he's gonna have to step up this week with Steele being out."
- Day says he isn't concerned with the ability of Thayer Munford and Paris Johnson Jr. being able to "get down and get inside," despite being natural tackles playing guard this season.
- Does Day ever talk about the Heisman Trophy with his players? "No, we don't talk about that."
- Day on dialing back creative play calling in the red zone at times against Penn State: "You have to be able to win running the football in red zone. We just didn't do that well enough."
- On the atmosphere against Penn State and the big recruiting night that it was: "Just the night in general was off the charts ... It was a memorable night, really the way everything was run, really first class."
- Day says C.J. Stroud played well and made some good throws, but that he probably wishes he had some throws back. Day says it wasn't "reality" to be able to score touchdowns on 19 straight drives.
- On the officiating in the Penn State game, Day says the Buckeyes sent some feedback to the Big Ten after reviewing the film. "Certainly there were some things we did turn in, yes."
- Day says Stroud has been given more autonomy as the season has gone on in terms of making decisions at the line of scrimmage.
- Day says Ohio State's defensive touchdowns have been "a huge lift for the offense." Day says Jerron Cage's career hasn't always gone the way he wanted it to, but that he had a moment that won't soon be forgotten on Saturday.
- On Jaxon Smith-Njigba: "He's certainly talented. He has a great skill set of quickness on the inside." Day says he's "highly competitive."
Brian Hartline
- On it taking time for highly touted WRs to find a role in the offense: "They have a pretty good head on their shoulders, they understand this is a process."
- Hartline says he's "pinches himself" sometimes when it settles in that he's the wide receivers coach at Ohio State.
- On Marvin Harrison Jr.: "He has a very bright future." Hartline says his dad talk Harrison from a young age, and that it's "very evident." Hartline says "I never hear from their parents, besides, 'Hey coach, how you doing?'"
- On Jayden Ballard and Emeka Egbuka: "The group is awesome and it's so much fun to coach, and I can't emphasize that enough."
- Hartline says there's been a "stark change" in development and execution in his group from Week 1 to Week 9.
- On his recruiting philosophy, Hartline says he "doesn't believe in gadget players": "You definitely want different sizes and kind of prototypes, and who's leaving and who's coming in."
- Hartline says he's never looked at grades for his receivers, so he couldn't say who has the highest grade in his room so far this season.
- On how Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson may feel about not grading out as champions, Hartline says "you should ask them and let me know what they say."
- Hartline says he didn't want to come off the field as a senior, and that he believes in leaving his top guys in the game rather than just playing younger guys for the sake of it. "It's always constant conversation, it's always something we'll be mindful of." Hartline says the Buckeyes are "lightyears ahead" of where they were last year in terms of rotating receivers.
- "From day one, I've always thought very highly of C.J." Hartline says "the more he can play and the more he can see, the better he can become."
- On Julian Fleming: "I'm sure at times it's been pretty hard. With how competitive he is, it's probably pretty difficult." Hartline says Fleming is "feeling better" though. "If it's not been frustrating, you're not very competitive."
- Hartline says Denzel Burke is a "great young man" and a "great Buckeye so far," and discussed the fact that he was the first Buckeye coach to reach out to Burke in the recruiting process.
- Hartline on what makes his wide receivers room different than others: "The details at which we operate are what separate people." Hartline says the Buckeye wideouts "have had some games where you're like, 'Wow.'" Hartline says he would grade the Buckeye WRs as a C+ after the Penn State game, but that they're capable of an A+ standard.
- Hartline says Wilson and Egbuka have helped each other mature and have pushed each other to grow.
- On the No. 1 trait he's looking for when recruiting players: "The type of person you are. If you're not the right fit, it'll be really hard to maximize a player. ...You gotta be a good dude." Hartline says you don't have to be the biggest, fastest, strongest, but that "you gotta be big enough, fast enough, strong enough."
- "Ohio State's my home. ... I would say that I love it here, and that it's a passion here. All I care about is this room, and that's my main focus and my forever focus." Hartline says Ohio State is "the pinnacle of the ladder. ... I don't need the satisfaction of calling plays." Hartline says he has conversations with his wife about how hard it would be for him to tell the players in his room that he's leaving.
- Hartline says Jaxon Smith-Njigba "can do everything I ask him." Says Smith-Njigba is probably the best blocker in the wide receiver room.
