Ryan Day and Mario Cristobal met with the media on Tuesday for the final time before the Cotton Bowl.
The Ohio State and Miami coaches fielded questions for 30 minutes at AT&T Stadium ahead of Wednesday’s clash between the Buckeyes and Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Day revealed that Brian Hartline will coach from the field alongside Day during the College Football Playoff, with co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey moving upstairs to the box, as Day takes over offensive play calling duties from Hartline following USF’s hiring of Hartline as its new head coach. Day also said Jayden Fielding will remain Ohio State’s starting kicker for the Cotton Bowl and said the Buckeyes are confident in Gabe VanSickle, who’s expected to start in place of Tegra Tshabola at right guard vs. Miami.
We’ve recapped everything each coach had to say below.
Ryan Day
- “The Cotton Bowl does it as good as anybody in the country with their hospitality,” Day said, noting that it’s Ohio State’s third year in a row playing in the Cotton Bowl.
- “It’s been a great week of preparation as we head into this game,” Day said.
- Day said the Buckeyes had a specific plan for every week of their preparation leading up to the Cotton Bowl. He said the players and coaches have all bought into the plan, and he thinks their preparation has been an efficient.
- Day said the Buckeyes want to have a fast start early in the game, but “we need to play for 60 minutes.”
- Julian Sayin has “a lot of football ahead of him” and a “huge ceiling,” Day said. Day is proud of Sayin for winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
- Day compared Gabe VanSickle stepping in at right guard to how Luke Montgomery stepped up in the College Football Playoff last season. He said the Buckeyes have confidence in VanSickle to get the job done.
- As Day takes over offensive play calling duties for the CFP, Brian Hartline will coach from the field in the Cotton Bowl alongside Day, while Keenan Bailey will coach from the press box. Day said he’ll have the “final say” on offensive play calls, but “everyone will be involved.”
- Day said Miami’s defense will present “a tremendous challenge for our offense.”
- On Matt Patricia: “Matt is a good man. He’s a good husband, he’s a good father. He really dives into the relationships with the guys on the staff, but he's also very intelligent and has a tremendous background of winning football.”
- Day said Julian Sayin has done a good job throughout the season of making sure the Buckeyes get into the right play and execute their offense.
- Day says Keenan Bailey does a lot of the “dirty work” for Ohio State’s offensive game planning behind the scenes. “He’s the first guy in the building, the last guy to leave.”
- On Ohio State’s mindset entering the CFP: “They made it pretty clear 10 months ago they wanted to make history. So it's all been a build to this point right here. We got to trust our training and all the work we put in up to this point and go put it on the field. The only way your story gets told is if you win, so all the work that goes in up to this point doesn't matter if you don't win the game. These guys understand that's a sobering truth of college football and where we're at, but they've had their mind set on this, and here we are, we are in that moment right now.”
- Day said Ohio State will stick with Jayden Fielding at kicker for the Cotton Bowl. He said Jackson Courville had opportunities to compete in practice, but Fielding will be Ohio State’s kicker vs. Miami, at least to start the game.
- Day named Will Kacmarek as an unsung hero on offense, again using the phrase “dirty work” to describe what Kacmarek does for the Buckeyes. He named Davison Igbinosun as a player who deserves more recognition on defense.
- On Mario Cristobal: “He’s done an amazing job everywhere he’s been. He’s a tremendous coach.”
- Day said coaching is “not about lifting trophies, it’s about the impact you make on people’s lives.”
Mario Cristobal
- Cristobal believes Miami has made “steady growth” throughout the season.
- Cristobal said Jeremiah Smith has “certainly done a great job” at Ohio State. While Cristobal and Miami tried to recruit him to be a Hurricane, he wished Smith the best when he chose to become a Buckeye.
- On Julian Sayin: “He does not look like a young guy playing the position. He looks like a guy that’s been there for a long time that has complete control of the offense.”
- Asked about Ohio State’s 2003 national championship win over Miami, Cristobal said Miami’s focus is on the 2025 matchup between the Hurricanes and the Buckeyes.
- Cristobal named Keionte Scott, Anez Cooper and Mark Fletcher as three players who deserve more recognition for their contributions to Miami this season.
- On Ryan Day: “He’s certainly set a really high standard for college football in his program.”
