Quick Hits: Carnell Tate Knows “For Sure” That He and Jeremiah Smith Are the Nation's Two Best Receivers, Lorenzo Styles Jr. Wanted to Take Punt Return Trick Play to the House

Following a massive nine-reception, 183-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Golden Gophers, Tate said, "I know that, for sure," when asked if he and Jeremiah Smith are the two best receivers in the country. It's hard to argue with him on a night like this.

Nickel Lorenzo Styles Jr. really wanted to take Ohio State's punt return trick play home for a touchdown despite his big return, while linebacker Sonny Styles spoke on the impact of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the Buckeyes' defense and quarterback Julian Sayin felt each part of the Buckeyes' offense "clicked."

Ryan Day

“Well, I’m glad you brought that up because this is the last game I’ll ever be coaching at Ohio State. I’m gonna hang it up, and that’s it. I’m gonna do a walk-off right now — I’ve appreciated being the coach here. No, a long way to go.” – Ryan Day on surpassing Knute Rockne as college football’s all-time leader in head coach winning percentage

• Day on Julian Sayin’s building confidence: "We are very deliberate about how we try to bring along our quarterbacks… When you have a defense like we do right now — that's playing the way we do — you can bring them along in a certain way. You're seeing it every week, Julian play with more and more confidence."
• Day on Ohio State’s decision to stick with Brandon Inniss on Ohio State’s punt returner following his fumble against Washington: "Brandon is a captain. He is a competitor. He is a baller. Nobody was sicker than him about that fumble. If we didn't see the type of play, the attention to detail, the discipline every day in practice, then maybe we would have thought about it, but that was never a consideration."
• Day called Jeremiah Smith the best offensive player in college football. "I don't think it's even close that Jeremiah Smith is the best offensive player in college football. If it's close, I'd like to know who it is."
• Day on Ohio State’s mindset after reaching 5-0: "You saw what happened in college football today. You got to bring it every week. The team that's desperate, the team that's hungry, is gonna win the game. It's our job to make sure it doesn't take a loss to make sure we are hungry and desperate, but these guys are still kids, and you gotta keep hammering it home."

QB Julian Sayin

“He coaches the position really well. In practice, he’s very tough on us and he wants to bring the best out of us. Tuesday, Wednesday, it's definitely very intense for the quarterback and makes your job a little bit easier on Saturdays.”– Julian Sayin on how Ryan Day coaches the quarterback position

• From the offensive line to the running backs and pass catchers, Sayin said Ohio State’s offense “all clicked” against Minnesota. However, he said the Buckeyes still have plenty of room to grow. “We’re not where we want to be as an offense yet. We’re still growing and developing each day.”
• Sayin said Ohio State’s coaches do a great job preparing the Buckeyes to be the most desperate and hungry team in college football. “I think you see the upsets around college football. And our practices every day are intense. We’re playing against the best defense in the country. And I think the competition out there is just so intense that it brings out the competitive spirit in everyone, the juice and everything. The coaches harp on us. … Once you think you got it, you’re about to get it.”
• Sayin said his development through five games as Ohio State’s starting quarterback “has been good.” Sayin said he’s grown “in a lot of areas” but particularly in “how to play the position” and “how to take care of the football in certain situations.”
• Sayin said Carnell Tate was “making some great plays” against Minnesota. He also touted the offensive line and Jeremiah Smith’s performances.

WR Carnell Tate

“I know that, for sure.”– Carnell Tate on whether he and Jeremiah Smith are the two best wide receivers in college football

• How do Tate and Smith make each other better? “We’re always pushing each other to make the better play. We’re always pushing each other to get each other open. If JJ doesn’t do his job, I can’t get open. If I don’t do my job, JJ can’t get open.”
• Tate said the Buckeyes were “shocked” that Minnesota tried to play man coverage against them. “They tried us in man, and we made them pay for it.”
• Tate said Julian Sayin has “elite ball placement” and approaches the game like a veteran.

LB Sonny Styles

“The football knowledge of it. I think guys are really starting to understand the game. It’s bigger than just understanding the play and understanding your job, like, understanding what the offense is trying to do, the defenses they’re trying to attack, their mindset throughout the game.”– Sonny Styles on the difference Matt Patricia has made at Ohio State

• Styles said belief and brotherhood have helped Ohio State’s defense become one of the best in college football. “Coach Patricia kind of instilled that mindset into us, you know, we’re always one out there. And we’re just going out there as 11 brothers. I think you’re seeing it when guys are making plays — I think you see guys are more excited about other guys making plays. And that’s just huge. It’s like, we love each other. We love to see each other do well.”
• Styles on Ohio State’s stellar red zone defense: “You get down there, you got to tighten up a little bit. … You know, you get down to the red zone, a team can’t score, you’re just going to be winning football games.”
• Styles said he’s “not surprised” that Ohio State has allowed two touchdowns this season. “I think we’re actually leaving a lot of meat on the bone. There’s still a lot of meat on the bone.”

DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.

“It’s something we’ve been working on for a little bit. It was nice to go on the field and then execute that today. I really wanted to take that to the house. I was kind of upset about that, but yeah, great to execute that today.”– Lorenzo Styles Jr. on Ohio State's punt return trick play

• When asked how much fun he’s having this season, Styles said, “I’m having a lot of fun. I’m on the field more, so obviously it’s become more fun for me. And the team’s getting closer, especially after that Washington trip. Going on the first road game, getting that win, I feel like that was important for us. We’re getting closer every day.”
• Styles reiterated that he and the entire Ohio State defense are having fun this season. “It’s an opportunity to go out there and showcase what we’ve been working on and put our preparation on display. Some people don’t have the opportunity to do this, so we’re just blessed to be out there and play the game we love.”
• Styles called Matt Patricia “great” and said the defensive coordinator “gives us confidence as a defense.” Styles added, “We know what we’re about to run, we’re situationally aware, and yeah, I’m very appreciative of him as a coach.”