It's not a complicated message from Ryan Day to Julian Sayin this week.
"Just win." That's it. There will be various details that go into that, but overall, the goal is to leave Ann Arbor with Ohio State's first win in The Game in six years. There weren't many updates about injuries to his star receivers, though there were earlier in the week.
As for the emotions of the game, when asked whether the preparation is fun, Day said that "fun is kicking ass." Ohio State is also working to keep its routine and play with emotion, not let emotion play with them, heading into the clash.
- Day didn't update much about wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, other than to say again that they're working hard to get back to the field.
- On Lorenzo Styles Jr.'s impact defensively and Bryce West's readiness at nickel: "Lorenzo is somebody who's played a lot of football now. ... He's a student of the game, works hard, has the right mindset... you're seeing him play his best football. ... We've worked hard to build depth at all positions."
- Day said that the possibility of Chip Kelly coming back isn't something that's on his mind right now.
- Styles will practice on Tuesday, but no update from Day.
- On the lessons that have stuck with him from the post-Michigan meeting that shifted the 2024 season: "Every year you learn, you grow. This is a different team. ... What matters is right now, having a great Tuesday. ... That's where the focus has to be, we can't let anything else distract us."
- On the team handling emotions: "You have to play with emotion, you can't let it play with you. ... They know how important this is. They know that this is our No. 1 goal each year, to win this game. ... You start to get over-emotional, you can start to get out of whack."
- On Michigan's team: "Talent. Talent all over the field. It starts on offense at quarterback ... Jordan Marshall's a very good player. ... Two of the best pass rushers in the country, and certainly in the back end, they've created a lot of turnovers. ... Talent in all three phases, well-coached, so we've gotta make sure that we're preparing at a high level this week."
- There's only one goal for Julian Sayin this week. "Lead the team to a victory. That's it at the end of the day. What does that look like? That depends how the game plays out. ... The rest of it is gravy."
- Day later reiterated the goal for Sayin is to "just win."
- Day loves the preparation and competition of this week, but he wouldn't describe it as "fun," per se. "Fun is kicking ass and that's what we want to do on Saturday. ... The fun part is winning."
- On the next wave of wide receivers: "They're getting more opportunities in games. ... This is great for them and this is the challenge this time of year."
- On how Ohio State's tight end usage has evolved: "I think we've built some depth there. ... It's given us some more versatility in what we do. I think it's important now more than ever."
- Day said the biggest challenge about the rivalry is keeping everyone locked in and focused and ensuring there's no distractions.
- On what's changed about his approach to The Game over time: "Each year is probably a different story when you start from beginning to end. ... It's continually stepping back and looking at it ... clearly, the last three to four years hasn't been good enough. ... There's a mindset going into the game."
- Day said "I don't know" when asked how last year's loss impacted him as a person. "We're all the sum of our experiences. ... We all grow. ... What goes on today is the most important thing. ... It sounds cliché but it's true."
- There's a chance for Bo Jackson to be the next freshman who has a big outing against Michigan. "We need Bo to play well. We need him to be at his best, his best like everyone else. ... You have to trust what you've done leading up to this point ... what he's done up to this point. And this is the type of game where legends are born."
