Ohio State continues its stretch run this season with a top-20 showdown against Purdue – the first of three-straight games against ranked opponents to close the season.
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.
Day was also joined by defensive line coach Larry Johnson for the final portion of the show.
Ryan Day Radio Show
Ryan Day
On the season so far
- "It's been a crazy year in college football."
- "We just talk about how we have to bring it each week."
- "Certainly we've got a big game this week."
On C.J. Stroud throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- "Jaxon's been doing an excellent job all season."
- Day notes that at one point, Smith-Njigba was cramping.
- "He had a big day."
- Day praised Smith-Njigba's ability to create after the catch.
On the defensive line's dominance
- "It's everybody," Day notes.
- "I think the younger guys had to get forced into it early on, and now we have a full arsenal of guys."
- Day notes that they're fresh because of the rotation.
- "Those snaps add up in November," Day
On Tyreke Smith
- "He's showed up in a big way."
- Day said "we need our veteran guys to play veteran."
- "We're going to need him here."
On the freshman defensive linemen
- "They're freshmen. For them to be able to play at this point in the season, is shows what they were able to do at the beginning of the year."
- "To put a freshman in at this point in the season and know he has a bunch of snaps under his belt is a good feeling."
- "It's good for those guys to show up."
On Ronnie Hickman
- "They kind of revolve around him a little bit," Day said of the defense.
- "The production speaks for itself."
- Day notes that "nobody knew much about" Hickman heading into the season, but he's surprised everybody.
On playing some depth
- "The more that we can get guys on the field the better off we are."
- "Now, it's going to hopefully pay off in November because guys have played and you know exactly what you have."
- Day said there are fewer unknowns.
On C.J. Stroud's leadership
- "You can see it in practice. He's practicing better and just taking more of a command in the offense."
- Day said he's no longer just trying to get through practice, he's practicing with a purpose.
On offensive setbacks
- "We've got to play clean."
- Day said there are a few things that have set them back on offense that they have to clean up, like penalties, negative plays, or mental mistakes.
- "We know it's not always going to be a 50-point game, but we can clean some things up."
On taking it one game at a time
- "When you start worrying about how you're winning, that's when you get in trouble."
- "The No. 1 goal is to win the game."
- Day said you just have to take it one game at a time.
On Purdue
- "First off, on offense, Jeff Brohm's done a great job for years."
- Calls Aidan O'Connell "one of the hotter guys in the league right now" and David Bell "one of the best receivers in the country."
- "George Karlaftis is probably a first-round draft pick at defensive end."
- "You've seen what they've done to some of the top-five teams."
On facing George Karlaftis
- Day said Karlaftis is the best pass rusher they've faced this season.
- "They look at it as a challenge."
- "Saturday, we'll find out where we're at."
On David Bell
- "He's really smooth, got a really good catch radius."
- Day said they do a good job getting him the ball.
- "We're not going to stop him for nothing, but you can't let him go crazy either."
On the home crowd
- Day said forcing the offense into a silent snap count is "huge."
- "The louder we can be on Saturday, the bigger that is for us."
On staying focused
- Day notes that the Buckeyes are facing three very good teams.
- "If you want to be great, you have to be consistent. I don't think we're great yet."
- "When you lose a game, you have regrets. Let's not have any regrets."
On Steele Chambers
- "I thought he played well."
- Ryan Day said the team got Chick-fil-A sandwiches on the way to Nebraska, and he joked that Steele Chambers could only have half a sandwich because he could only play half the game. On the way home, Day told Chambers he could have a whole sandwich “because he played that good.”
- "He made some really good plays."
- "That was hard for him to sit out that much."
- Day said the Buckeyes were happy to take the ball first against Nebraska because it would give them an extra defensive possession with Steele Chambers in the second half
On playcalling in the weather
- "If it's rainy or super windy," it might affect their play call.
- "Not so much when it's colder."
- Day said it's certainly a condition that "we have to handle better than our opponent."
On if Noah Ruggles' consistency makes him more likely to kick instead of go for it
- "Yeah, for sure. Especially when your defense is playing well."
- Day said when your kicker and defense are playing well, you take the points.
- "The No. 1 goal is to win the game."
- Day reiterates he's not worried about how he wins.
On Denzel Burke
- "For a freshman, he's done a good job."
- Day notes he'll have a challenge this week.
- Day said outside of Jahan Dotson, David Bell is the best receiver they've seen.
On the running back depth
- "We're going to need those guys. We're going to need them to be healthy and play for us."
- "We want to play a little more depth, and we're going to need that."
Larry Johnson
On the defensive line against Purdue
- Johnson wants "I think that's the key, any time you have a quarterback that throws a lot."
- "Our job is to affect him."
- Johnson notes you don't necessarily have to get a sack to affect a pass.
On the defensive line rotation
- "That's the key to this thing."
- "We've probably played more players since I've been here."
- Johnson said this defensive line is fresher than it's ever been at this point in the season.
- "We're not just rotating, we're rotating for a reason."
- Johnson says they rotate for fatigue and to take advantage of skill sets.
On the blend of veteran and young talent
- "They're really close."
- "The older guys are rooting for the younger guys."
- Johnson says a lot of times the older guys get even more excited than the younger guys when the younger guys make a big play.
On the secondary and defensive line working together
- "People want to give credit to the d-line, but really it's the secondary."
- "If you've got good coverage, it gives us another half a second to get there."
- "I think that's the key to how you stop a great quarterback."
Ryan Day’s Thursday Press Conference
- On Thayer Munford: “He’s a Block O recipient, captain. He really helped us this offseason with leadership.” Day says “his approach has been unbelievable.”
- “No matter what game it is, there’s probably 3-5 calls you wish you had back.” Day says if there are too many more than that, it’s probably a particularly bad day. “All it takes is one guy to be off, and that includes the coaching.”
- On Jack Sawyer emulating George Karlaftis: “They kind of fit the same body, makeup that Karlaftis has. I would say that Karlaftis is probably the biggest challenge that these guys have had all year.”
- Day says Steele Chambers “is playing at a starter level, for sure. He’s playing as good as anybody on our defense right now.” Day says his production has been “significant.”
- On this being a “trap game”: “I think what it is is just bringing it every week and bringing it week in and week out.” Day says “you can’t lay an egg, you can’t have a bad day.”
- On Evan Pryor, Day says he doesn’t know if he’s in the mix to be the second running back, but that he’s “certainly in the mix to get in the game.”
- On Garrett Wilson, Day says “he’s had a good week of practice, and we’ll see what he does today.”
- Day says the Buckeyes are expecting to have Haskell Garrett and Tyleik Williams available this week, although they both have been dealing with some issues as of late.
