Ryan Day believes Ohio State's wins over Notre Dame and Penn State have defined the Buckeyes' 2023 season. This weekend, the Ohio State head coach expects another monumental matchup for the program, as the Buckeyes will travel to Camp Randall Stadium and face off with the Luke Fickell-coached Wisconsin Badgers.
Day discussed Ohio State's matchup with Wisconsin, the health of TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Denzel Burke, and more in his weekly "Lightning Round" with the media, which occurred after the Buckeyes' midweek practice on Wednesday:
- Day was complimentary of the work Fickell did at Ohio State and Cincinnati. He expects Fickell to continue his success at Wisconsin, which has a 5-2 record in Fickell's first season with the program. "He's obviously done a great job everywhere he's been."
- Day said Ohio State wants consistency coming out of its top-10 win over Penn State. He said his players have done well in that regard this week: "It's an eye test. You see the focus. You see the energy level. You watch the execution. You see it in practice." Day said Ohio State "had a solid week of practice" as the Buckeyes "battled to be consistent" on and off the field.
- Day on Wisconsin: "They're a good team. They're well-coached. We gotta play our best football. ... We want to play our best football on Saturday night."
- Day on Ohio State's health entering the Wisconsin game: "We got a bunch of guys back (for practice), which is great. ... It's hard when you go through a week and you're not quite sure." Day later added: "We are gonna get some guys back this week, which we feel great about. ... Looking forward about getting some guys back into the fold."
- When asked if Henderson, Egbuka and Burke practiced this week, Day said, "Once I get into who practiced, who doesn't, it's hard for me. ... Those guys had a good week of practice." Day said he is "hopeful" to have Henderson, Egbuka and Burke in uniform and ready to go against Wisconsin.
- Day on Marvin Harrison Jr. being left off some midseason awards lists: "If there is a better player in the country, certainly receiver in the country, I would like to know who he is." Day added: "He deserves to be in the mix for the Heisman. I believe that. ... It's hard to argue with what he's put on the field so far. ... I know he should be in consideration."
- Day said Camp Randall Stadium will provide the Buckeyes with a significant challenge on Saturday. However, he feels confident heading into the weekend because of how his players handled Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend in Week 4: "When you haven't done it before, it's different. Our guys have been in those environments, but that doesn't mean it's easy. ... It's always hard to go on the road and win games. This is a place I haven't played before, but there are so many people that talk about the difficulty. ... That's what makes (Big Ten football) great."
