Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana is still motivating the Buckeyes.
While Ohio State is now fully focused on trying to beat Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, the pain of losing to the Hoosiers is still lingering. And it’s fueling the Buckeyes to make sure they play better when they take the field in nine days against the Hurricanes.
“Everybody’s just moving around with an edge. Everybody is pissed off. Everybody wants to get it right and wants to win. Nobody likes to lose. Nobody. And it's a game that we felt like we shouldn't have lost,” Day said during his press conference on Monday. “But you got to learn from it and grow from it and move on. And when you sit on it for this long of a time, it doesn't sit well. So we got to make sure that that doesn't happen again.”
In his first press conference since Ohio State found it would be playing the Hurricanes in its first CFP game this year, Day also talked about why he’s decided to take over offensive play calling, how the Buckeyes will move forward at right guard with Tegra Tshabola sidelined, how Jeremiah Smith battled back from a quad strain to play against Michigan and what he sees in Miami. You can watch the full press conference in the video at the top of the page – we’ve recapped the highlights below.
- Right guard Tegra Tshabola will be out “at least a few weeks” due to an undisclosed injury. Gabe VanSickle and Joshua Padilla could both see playing time in his place vs. Miami. “We feel comfortable with both of those guys in the game.”
- Day will take over offensive play calling for the College Football Playoff. Brian Hartline will focus on coaching receivers in the CFP as he juggles his new duties as the head coach at South Florida. Day said “everybody will be involved with the play calling,” and co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey “will be very much involved,” but Day will make the final call.
- On Miami: “This is a really talented team, I mean, really talented. They’ve got players all over the field.”
- On the motivation from the Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana: “You have to sit on that loss for a while, and that's not fun. But it does wake us up early in the morning and keep us here late at night, making sure that we're doing everything we can, because the issues are always there.”
- “Everybody’s just moving around with an edge. Everybody is pissed off. Everybody wants to get it right and wants to win. Nobody likes to lose. Nobody. And it's a game that we felt like we shouldn't have lost. But you got to learn from it and grow from it and move on. And when you sit on it for this long of a time, it doesn't sit well. So we got to make sure that that doesn't happen again,” Day said when asked what Ohio State learned from the loss to Indiana.
- On Jeremiah Smith returning from a quad strain to play against Michigan: “I think if people really knew leading up to that game what he went through to get himself healthy to play in that game, and then play the way that he did without really practicing much that week, you'd be amazed. And similar with Carnell (Tate). So it's great to have these guys healthy again and practicing.” Day said he told Smith the Buckeyes would “win that game with or without you,” but Smith “willed himself to be healthy into that game and to play in that game.”
- Day said Hartline, Bailey, quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler and offensive line coach Tyler Bowen all need “to be on their stuff” to help him with offensive play calling since he can’t focus solely on the offense as head coach.
- Asked if there was anything in the leadup to the Indiana game that prevented Ohio State from being at its best, Day said “We're not in the business of making excuses or anything like that. We just didn't get the job done.”
- Day said Miami defensive line coach Jason Taylor is “doing a great job” coaching his unit and “it's a huge challenge for our offensive line.”
- Day expects Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. to all have extra motivation playing Miami since they are from Miami.
