Ryan Day has thought for years about what he would say if Ohio State finally beat Michigan.
When the moment arrived, he had a surprising realization: the Buckeyes should win with humility.
“I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years, after winning this game, what I would say in this press conference. I’m gonna save all those comments because I think the best thing to do is win with humility," Day said. "That’s what we’re gonna do. I think that speaks to our program and speaks to what it means to be a Buckeye. We wanted to take this rivalry game back this year. The way that our guys played certainly spoke to that. They played with great passion and great physicality.”
Day’s comment came during his press conference following Ohio State’s 27-9 win over Michigan in The Game. Joining him at the podium — both before and after his appearance — were linebacker Sonny Styles, quarterback Julian Sayin, defensive end Caden Curry and running back Bo Jackson.
We’ve compiled all of their comments and quotes below.
Ryan Day
- When asked how he feels after Ohio State’s win, Day said, “Well, I’m happy for our players, I’m happy for our coaches and all the fans who were at the game.” Day said it was cool to hear Ohio State’s fans chant “O-H-I-O” in the Big House. “That means a lot to me. That means a lot to the coaching staff, the players and my family.”
- On winning The Game: “I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years, after winning this game, what I would say in this press conference. I’m gonna save all those comments because I think the best thing to do is win with humility. That’s what we’re gonna do. I think that speaks to our program and speaks to what it means to be a Buckeye. We wanted to take this rivalry game back this year. The way that our guys played certainly spoke to that. They played with great passion and great physicality.”
- On Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate playing in The Game: “If you really knew how much work they put in to get on the field and how gutsy they are — I’m sure the fans and everybody would appreciate what they did in going out there and putting it on the line.”
- Day said Smith was “very, very limited” in practice this week. “For him to play the way he did with really not getting many reps all week is just a tribute to him.”
- “It will be a great memory of mine just being in there with those guys and enjoying the win and seeing them smile and knowing what they just did on the field. … Just happy for our guys to see the smiles on their faces and see the sense of accomplishment. The fact that we were gonna play in this game really, really hard for the love of our brother, not for the hatred of our opponent — that wasn’t what it was about — that’s what they did on the field today. All the hard work.”
- Day said he takes full responsibility for Ohio State not beating Michigan in the previous four years. “You take it personally. I understand what it means. My family has been nine years now, so there’s nobody that wants to win this game more than me. But to win this game, it’s just a great moment. It’s one of those moments that you want to grab on for a while and just enjoy it. To see the joy in everyone’s face is really what this thing is all about. That’s what being a head coach is. It’s not about you. It’s not about raising trophies. It’s not about winning games. It’s about pouring back into the people that are around you. When I say people, it’s the players, it’s the coaches, it’s their families and the fans. Winning just gives us the opportunity to continue to do that, to make an impact.”
- Day continued: “Everyone, the fans and all of our supporters can recognize all the work that gets put in. When it doesn’t go the right way, nobody wavered. We hung in there. It isn’t easy — nothing about this profession is easy. But I’m proud of the men we have and happy they got this win.”
- Day said The Game would have gone differently if it weren’t played in the elements. He felt like Ohio State’s offense could have put more points on the board if not for the snow.
- Day said what hurt the most about Ohio State’s recent losses to Michigan was “feeling like you let everybody down.” He added, “That’s just not a good feeling. You work like hell to make sure you do everything you can to get your guys prepared, and that’s all you can do. That’s exactly what happened here. It was a buildup all year. Our guys captured the moment and played great.”
Julian Sayin
- On his interception in the first quarter: “We knew there was gonna be adversity. We weren’t gonna let it faze us. Adversity came on the second play of the game. We got to keep battling. I think as an offense that’s our whole mindset, just keep battling.”
- Sayin said it was “awesome” to have Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate back against Michigan. “They’re such elite receivers.”
- Sayin said Day had several messages for the team this week, none more important than understanding how much The Game means to Ohio State fans. “When I first got here, I was taught the tradition of this and how much it means to Buckeye Nation and how much it means to the state of Ohio. We definitely want to take it one week at a time, but we knew this was coming. It was awesome to have our fans there. We ended up clearing out the stadium, having all red out there, so it was awesome.”
- Sayin said it was a lot of fun to play in the snow in Ann Arbor. He said the Buckeyes acclimated well to the weather. “The guys did a great job.”
- Sayin said there was “no panic” on Ohio State’s sideline after he threw his interception. “Credit to the defense, obviously, man, they played great all game. To hold them to three (after the interception) gave us a lot of confidence as an offense.”
- On Ohio State’s offensive line: “I think those guys played really physical. I think all season long they’ve had an edge to them, played nasty.”
- Sayin said Ohio State “had to adjust on the fly” when his helmet communication system went down. Sayin ran to the sideline to receive the playcall and then relay it to his teammates.
Sonny Styles
- On how it feels to win The Game: “It feels good. Before this game, we talked about not caring about what happened in the past, saying this team is different and going out there and playing for the love of your brother, not for the hate of the other team. I thought we did that today, just a band of brothers playing for each other.”
- Styles said Ohio State emphasized winning the second half in their prep for The Game. “We talked about it before the game — we got to win in the second half. We had a few games in the past few years where we lost the second half. That was a big thing. We came out in the second half and whooped ‘em.”
- Styles said Ohio State trailed early in the game because of its mistakes, not because Michigan dominated the Buckeyes. Styles said he and his teammates responded well with their backs against the wall.
- Styles said he and his teammates have turned their eyes to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. “We’re gonna enjoy this one, but we’re more excited about the future and what’s coming up next.”
- “So happy for him. Coach Day is an amazing leader. He’s an amazing coach. I think a lot of people had stuff to say about this game when it comes to him, and I think he proved a point today.”
- Styles said Ohio State looked forward to dominating in a matchup game. He said the Buckeyes did that against Michigan.
- Styles said the best thing about Matt Patricia is that he’s a teacher. He said Patricia helps Ohio State’s players anticipate rather than react. Styles said the Buckeyes “play on our toes” on defense.
- On Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate playing in The Game: “I think we had a lot of confidence going into the game, whether they played or not — at least for the defensive side of the ball. We felt like we were gonna win the game on defense, no matter what. But obivously, having two elite receivers out there helps a lot.”
Caden Curry
- On Ohio State’s defensive performance in the second half: “Just consistency. Just playing the game that we play. … We knew we were gonna have to win in the second half, and I feel like that’s what we did.”
- On winning The Game: “It’s definitely something I’ll always remember. I mean, it’s great to come up here and do it, too. I’m definitely excited about it.”
- Curry said Ohio State has “more to do” in the future, referring to the Buckeyes’ matchup with Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game.
- Curry said Ohio State’s defense is as hungry as it’s ever been. “We know what we can continue to do. We just got to keep having that mentality, keep fighting every day and get better every day.”
- When asked if Sayin should be the Heisman Trophy favorite, Curry answered, “I mean, duh.” Curry added, “He’s just such a great player, such a smart player. He knows how to win. I mean, I feel like there’s not much more. He’s just got to keep continuing to do it.”
- Curry said it’s “great to see” when all of Ohio State’s defenders do their job.
- On defending Bryce Underwood: “We knew we had to keep him contained. We just had to make him play quarterback. I feel like we did a good job of that. I feel like we had him rattled at times.”
- Curry said Ohio State’s defense went to Ann Arbor and played the game it wanted to play against the Wolverines. “It definitely feels really good to come up here and kind of physically dominate them like we did today.”
- Curry said Ohio State still has “way more on the table” and “so much more to prove.” Curry said, “This team has such a great story that needs to be told.”
Bo Jackson
- Jackson said “it was really a dream come true” to have the performance he did in Ohio State’s win over Michigan.
- Jackson said it’s important for running backs to be versatile. Jackson feels like he proved himself in The Game.
- On Ohio State’s offensive line: “All year they’ve been getting better week by week. They’ve been working very hard. That’s the key to our run game.”
- Jackson on Ohio State’s run game in the second half: “It was great to be able to dominate and pound our way down the field like that.”
- Jackson said Ohio State has to “keep building off this” against Indiana and into the College Football Playoff.
