Ryan Day wants no part of poisoning the well for his team about how dangerous an opponent Illinois can be.
The No. 17 Fighting Illini stand at 5-1 on the season, but that one loss came in 63-10 blowout fashion against No. 7 Indiana. But Day told 97.1 the Fan during his weekly appearance on Buckeye Roundtable Monday that he's already told his players to “throw the Indiana game out” when reviewing Illinois.
Day also reviewed what he enjoyed and what he will work on from his team's dominant 42-3 win over Minnesota this past Saturday and praised quarterback Julian Sayin for his downfield accuracy and decision-making as the Buckeyes opened up their playbook more against the Golden Gophers.
- On what he was most pleased about from Ohio State against Minnesota: "It's been good to see the overall effort, so far, be consistent, which is something we're all over. ... You gotta get better every week and it starts with your effort, it starts with your focus and then it comes to execution. ... So far, you're seeing us grow and build confidence, but as we know, it's week to week in college football."
- Ohio State put more on Sayin's plate, and Day appreciated how he took on the challenge. "He's building confidence in himself, but I think that the players really have a lot of confidence in him right now. ... When the defense is playing well, you're able to continually put things on his plate and let him get better at those things. ... Really located the ball down the field well, taking care of the ball ... and good to see the ball spread around."
- In the age of NIL and transfer portal chaos, Day said the programs that achieve the highest heights will be the ones whose players still put the team first. "What's going to be the best teams in the end is the ones that are willing to sacrifice. ... That's probably one of the biggest challenges going on right now in college football. ... I challenge our guys to be different. ... Proud of our guys right now in terms of them focusing on each other, but it's something that we have to focus on every day."
- John Cooper joked with Day about his energy during practice, and Day said there's been great focus from his team on improving week to week, and from his coaches on developing. "No standing around on that field, as you know. I think there's a lot of buy-in in what we're doing."
- Day was disappointed in Ohio State's performance in the middle eight minutes of the game. "Just lack of execution and we didn't handle that whole situation well as a staff and as players. ... We had an opportunity there for two weeks in a row to go out and win that middle eight."
- On Illinois: "They're very well-coached. ... They're always prepared. Smart players, tough players, experienced players." Day also said that Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer is impressive with his decision-making and arm talent.
- Day emphasized the preparation of his team for the environment in Champaign, Illinois, and is telling them to "throw the Indiana game out" from the Fighting Illini's film, which they lost 63-10. He mentioned how Nebraska played Ohio State close last season just one week after getting blown out by Indiana. “This is a very good team.”
- Day said this week’s game will be his first trip to Illinois.
