It’s officially the final month of the regular season, and Ohio State is ready to turn things up a notch.
As Ryan Day, Caleb Downs and Tim Walton each addressed the crowd during Saturday’s Skull Session before the Penn State game, there was a common thread between their messages: The Buckeyes have big goals, and their intensity is only ratcheting up as they draw closer to the biggest games of the season.
“What does it really mean to be a Buckeye? To be a Buckeye is to chase excellence every day,” Downs said. “This whole week, all I’ve heard is how hungry and this (Penn State) team has nothing to lose, but at the end of the day, when you’re chasing excellence, you’re always hungry. You’ve always got something to strive for.”
Walton said he believes Ohio State has the best team in the country, but the Buckeyes can’t let their foot off the gas if they want to achieve their championship goals.
“We have the best football team in college football and we have the best coaching staff in college football,” Walton said. “Winning – it takes everything you’ve got ... and you have to give everything you have in order to achieve that on a daily basis.”
Ryan Day called on Ohio State fans to make the Shoe “the most hostile environment in the country” and said the Buckeyes will be playing with an “Ohio Against the World” mentality as they seek their ninth straight win over Penn State on Saturday.
“These Saturdays in the Shoe are special, because when we come together, there’s nobody better,” Day said. “Don’t forget, it’s always Ohio Against the World. And today, Penn State comes into Ohio Stadium ... Our team has to do our job, and the way we do that is by attacking and playing violent for four quarters and fighting our ass off.”
