While Jeremiah Smith left Ohio State’s win over UCLA early with an injury that left him limping on the sideline, Ryan Day indicated that Smith could have returned to the game if necessary.
Meeting with the media after the game, Day said Smith was “having a bit of a nagging issue there that we just wanted to make sure that we were being really smart with,” but indicated that he believes Smith will be back to 100% for next week’s game against Rutgers.
Julian Sayin also suffered an injury scare on Saturday night, making a brief trip to the medical tent after landing awkwardly on his ankle, but the Ohio State quarterback said he was “feeling good now” during his postgame press confernence.
Lorenzo Styles Jr., James Peoples, Caden Curry and Brandon Inniss also met with the media on a night where Styles had Ohio State’s first kickoff return touchdown in 15 years, Peoples hurdled a defender on a spectacular touchdown run, Curry blocked a punt and Inniss had a career-high six catches to help lead the Buckeyes to a 48-10 win.
Ryan Day
“It was businesslike, workmanlike. Certainly not perfect. But that’s what we need to get to because the precision and the execution that needs to happen here over the next couple of weeks is going to be very important.”– Ryan Day on how he views Ohio State’s win over UCLA
- Day said Ohio State held Carnell Tate out of the game and Jeremiah Smith to a limited number of snaps so that both receivers can be at 100% in the final two weeks.
- On Smith’s injury: "Jeremiah was just having a little bit of a nagging issue there that we just wanted to make sure that we were being really smart with him as we know what's coming down the road here.”
- Day praised Brandon Inniss for how he stepped up in Tate and Smith’s absence: “Brandon is a captain, and he has a big voice. He is a very competitive guy. He sort of has the heart and soul that you want as a captain. I think he’s a very good football player. … He can do a lot of things.”
- Day said he was pleased with how Ohio State’s running backs made defenders miss on Saturday. He said the Buckeyes want to continue working on finishing plays down the field. “Everybody is involved with the run game. It starts with the offensive line, the tight ends, Julian is involved. But at the end of the day, it seemed to me like the running backs were getting downhill and running physical.”
- On Ohio State's kick return touchdown: "Well, Lorenzo, you could see the speed, he was rolling. But it takes buy-in from everybody. We assign each special teams unit to a coach, and Nate Ebner has that group, and I thought he did a great job." Day said he and Styles joked that Styles had to return the kick for a touchdown or he would be in trouble.
QB Julian Sayin
“Just ended up stepping on it a little bit weird, but I’m feeling good now. Not too bad, just stepped on it a little bit weird.”– Julian Sayin on the ankle injury he sustained during the UCLA game
- Sayin said the injury didn’t impact the accuracy or power of his throws. “I was able to step into all my throws with power. I had a couple of misses tonight just mechanically — I wasn’t super perfect with those — but I was able to step into all my throws.”
- Sayin said Ohio State’s running backs have been improving each week. “I think they’re growing each week. … They all ran really hard and did a really good job. James (Peoples), watching him hurdle that guy, it was awesome to see. I’m close with James, so that was awesome to see. I think those guys do a really good job. They’ve been challenged to run angry and run tough and they do a really good job of that. I think they showed that tonight.”
- Sayin said Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith’s injuries don’t change his mindset as the team’s quarterback. “I don’t think it changes my mindset. I have a lot of trust in the younger guys that we have in this receiver room. They do a really good job. We’ve practiced with those guys, and they show up in practice and make great plays. We have a lot of trust in them. We don’t change our mindset. It’s next man up.”
DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.
“When I first caught the ball. I told myself that if they kick it to me, I’m taking it to the house.”– Lorenzo Styles Jr. on when he knew he’d score his kickoff return touchdown
- On how it feels to end Ohio State’s 15-year drought without a kickoff return touchdown: “It feels great. A lot of credit to my coaches and my teammates for putting in the install — that’s a lot of work, a lot of preparation. My teammates did their job, so it was great to put that on the field.”
- Styles said he should have scored on the punt return against Minnesota, where Brandon Inniss threw him the football across the field. “I should have scored on the punt return too, so I knew if I had another opportunity, I knew I had to take it to the house and represent the university, my teammates and all the work we put in.”
- Styles said Ohio State works tirelessly on special teams during practice. He said to score a kickoff return for a touchdown feels like “icing on the cake” for the Buckeyes.
RB James Peoples
“Man, I got to be honest, what was going through my head was just reading the blocks. The guys opened it up for me, and from that moment on, it was kind of just instincts. After I did it, it was kind of like a movie. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do?’”– James Peoples on his hurdle leading to a touchdown
- Peoples said he’s grown as a person and in his faith this season, which hasn’t turned out how he thought it would at the beginning of the year. Peoples said he’s excited to contribute in whatever way he can for the Buckeyes in the final two weeks of the regular season and in the postseason.
- On Carlos Locklyn’s impact on him this season: “He’s just been there. He’s always encouraging, keeping us as one in the running back room and just talking to us daily and having the mindset of every day coming to work. … I’m really appreciative of Coach Lock and what he’s done up to this point. We got to keep going, man.”
- Peoples knew he always could make an impact for the Buckeyes: “I’m glad it was showcased today.” When asked if he plans to continue hurdling opponents in the future, Peoples laughed. He said the Ohio State track and field team is “probably gonna try to recruit me” after the UCLA game.
DE Caden Curry
“My claim for me is the intimidation factor. Getting back there and being in that big spot back there, and he kind of just put it there (in my stomach). I’ll take it.”– Caden Curry on his punt block
- On the late news that UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava was out: “Kind of sucks when you’re preparing for somebody all week and then they bring somebody else. But it’s not our problem, it’s theirs. So, just going out there and playing our game and preparing for what’s ahead.”
- On Ohio State’s explosiveness on special teams: “You definitely see it. It’s good to see at this, end of the season, starting to build up, getting that momentum we have going into these big games we have coming up. So, having that, getting it started, getting it going is something that we need later in the run.”
- Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has been a person to lean on for the entire defense on and off the field, Curry said.“He’s just another great guy we can go to every week, day in and day out if we have questions, happy to answer it. He’s a players’ coach and we all love him out there.”
WR Brandon Inniss
“I feel like I’ve matured really well. There’s been times during the season where I haven’t had a lot of targets or catches or things like that, but whatever we can do to win the game, that’s the biggest thing for us.”– On how he’s matured this season and being unselfish
- On how he feels coming off a career-high six-catch performance against UCLA: “It feels good. It feels really good. I had some pretty good plays tonight. It feels good. It adds to my confidence. … I just gotta continue to make plays.”
- On what kind of impact he can make for the Ohio State offense moving forward: “I mean, we have the two best receivers in the country on the outside, so there’s only so much you can do. I just got to make the most of my opportunities. Whenever I’m targeted, I got to catch the ball.”
- Inniss said he felt like he scored Ohio State’s kick return touchdown because of how excited he was to see Lorenzo Styles Jr. take his kick return 100 yards to the end zone.
- Inniss said Ryan Day has had "a different look in his eye" since Ohio State's loss to Michigan last season. "A lot of people see it. I just feel like ever since that Team Up North loss last year, it's been a different Coach Day.”
