Presser Bullets: Ryan Day, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Shaun Wade, Garrett Wilson, Jonathon Cooper Discuss First Three Games

With a 3-0 record following a 49-27 win versus Rutgers, the Buckeyes will aim to remain unbeaten when they take on Maryland on the road Saturday afternoon. On Tuesday, head coach Ryan Day, offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, defensive end Jonathan Cooper, cornerback Shaun Wade and wide receiver Garrett Wilson joined the media to discuss their thoughts on the first three games and what's coming up.

A bullet-point rundown on what was said:

Ryan Day

• On the offensive line: "Kind of a mixed bag. I think there were some really, really good plays." He says there were "a couple movement plays" where they got hands outside of the pads.
• On the defensive line's performance vs. Rutgers: "I thought we moved the line of scrimmage pretty good up front."
• On the run game and if they need more balance: "I don't know how much more we need to rush than that. Two-hundred yards rushing is a pretty good day."
• Day says Jeremy Ruckert has both made plays in the red zone and on the perimeter as a blocker. Notes Luke Farrell's "12 personnel has given us some things we think we can attack teams with."
• Is he concerned about not getting players down the depth chart minutes in the game? "Yeah. I was worried about it without a spring. I was worried about it without a normal preseason. And I was worried about it without a normal non-conference leadup."
• He says they thought about pulling the starters at halftime of Ohio State-Rutgers. They wanted to get one more touchdown to start the second half then "were flat" and didn't make it happen.
• On Trey Sermon: "I think he's getting better with each opportunity. It's been a while since he played." Says he's hopeful Sermon "continues to make the next step."
• On Sermon's status: "We plan on having him for practice this week, but we'll just see as the week goes on."
• Day says playing multiple sports helps with a quarterback's spatial awareness and intelligence. "You can anticipate body movement, body language." 
• He says he was most impressed with Justin Fields' pocket presence against Rutgers.
• Day thinks playing baseball – which Fields did – can help with timing and sequencing. "It's not just having a strong arm." He says the timing you can snap your hips and deliver the ball could come from baseball.
• He says Blake Haubeil is "taking it day by day." Thought Jake Seibert "wasn't challenged" since he only kicked extra points but had a "good start."
• What makes Garrett Wilson special: "The first thing that stands out is his talent. He's tremendously skilled. His ball skills are excellent." He says Wilson "can be as good as he wants to be."
• Says Nicholas Petit-Frere has worked on his body and technique, which has shown up recently.
• Day says they have a certain set of plays they rep all the time and different sets of game-plan plays they prepare on a weekly basis.
• He says "it's good for us" to get Fields moving around and out of the pocket at times.
• Day says the free safety – Marcus Hooker – "has to be the ultimate eraser." 
• On if they might play the freshman cornerbacks: "I think they're going to have to. I think we understand why it's hard to put them in the game right now" when they're young and haven't had many reps yet.
• On if he worries about signing multiple five-star quarterbacks: "No, not really." He says if a quarterback comes to Ohio State, they're doing so to win the Heisman Trophy, win a national championship and become a first-round draft pick.
• He says he thinks Ohio State has the best passing offense in the country, which attracts quarterback recruits.
• On if they've talked about recruiting backup quarterbacks intentionally: "Not really. I totally have thought about it, totally have talked about it. But if someone's coming here to be the backup, they're probably not going to make it anyway." He says he doesn't think that's realistic.
• Day says Maryland "played well" against Penn State. On Mike Locksley: "He upgraded the talent there."
• On the Terrapins: "They're dangerous right now." Says they're "definitely better than they've been."
• He says with everything that's gone on, they're pleased with being 3-0. "We need to make sure that we recognize that." He also mentions they're not where they need to eventually be. "I'm not disappointed in anything, to be honest with you. We just want perfection."
• Day says he thinks the passing in the Big Ten has generally improved. 
• Does he think Maryland will be the best team Ohio State has played? "I think it's week to week right now. We played Penn State. They played hard in that game." 
• If he's expecting a shootout: "Whatever happens, we've just got to find a way to win by one more point." 
• On Taulia Tagovailoa: "I think he does a good job getting the ball out of his hands. I think he has the 'it factor' his brother has."
• Day says his expectations for Garrett Wilson out of high school were "about what's going on right now." Says he has "such a high ceiling."
• He's uncertain how quickly Lejond Cavazos will be able to contribute once getting back from injury.

Nicholas Petit-Frere

• He says the biggest lesson he's learned as a starter has been to not get down on himself when he makes mistakes. Also the importance of practice and film study has stood out.
• Petit-Frere says Day tells the team it should be the fastest and most confident team with the preparation it does.
• On if he's playing as well as his teammates have said: "I guess so. I just try to focus on playing as hard as I can to help us win games."
• He says he's learned a lot from all of the offensive tackles who've come before him "and especially Thayer (Munford)." 
• Petit-Frere says he both feels confident and powerful. Mentions a lot of it is about confidence in yourself at the collegiate level and NFL.
• He says getting some games started has made him more comfortable. 
• "Everyone has different journeys and different paths." Says there's a reason why all the offensive linemen were brought in. 
• He says Munford was one of the first people he met at Ohio State because the senior saw Petit-Frere as a younger brother. Munford is actually a couple of days younger than Petit-Frere, he says. "It's just funny to look at it that way."
• On Jeremy Ruckert: "He's one of the more physical blockers that we have here."
• Why he's hitting his stride: "It's just everything has been going right to me. I've been on an upward slope."
• "Offensive line is one of those developmental positions that every college has." He says there's a "different toughness and understanding of the game" at this level.
• On starting: "It's super rewarding because we're winning games."
• Petit-Frere says learning all of the plays is "kind of hard" at first and took some time.
• On Harry Miller's three holding penalties: "Those are always hard moments." He says Miller is among those who watches the most film and will work to get better.

Jonathon Cooper

• Cooper says it's hard to think of the season as a whole during the year even if he has big goals. They try to stay focused on the week but also "we don't miss the big picture and what this is really about."
• He says he's heard from a lot of people about wearing the Block O jersey but nobody out of the ordinary: "Not like a Lebron James or something."
• Cooper says Petit-Frere has developed into an "amazing tackle."
• He says Larry Johnson wants the linemen to get better with hands and the get-off from the line of scrimmage.
• "I think we're generating a lot of pressure, honestly." He says even with only one sack vs. Rutgers, the line had good rushes and the ball was coming out quickly.
• Cooper says facing a quarterback who can run means the line can't get too far upfield. "We can't let him get out of the pocket and scramble around." He says it's up to the defensive line.
• On the 2018 Maryland game: "I do remember that scare two years ago very well." He thinks the Terrapins are better this year. 
• Cooper says he thinks Zach Harrison has "played pretty well." Thinks he's "developing more confidence" in himself. He believes you can see Harrison's speed show up on the field. 
• On why he's pleased with how they're rushing the quarterback: "We just see how fast we are getting there."
• Cooper says it's hard to get prepared for trick plays and "go back to your rules" as a player when they happen. "There's only so much you can do against a trick play."
• He says the defense can't afford to make as many mistakes. "I feel like the past two games, we haven't really finished as strong as we're supposed to."

Garrett Wilson

• What stands out about Chris Olave: "Just his consistency. I say Chris never had a bad practice."
• Says Olave is not as quiet once you get to know him.
• He says the wide receiver perimeter blocking was an emphasis after Week 1: "Jet sweeps have been hitting well."
• "Being in this offense and playing with someone like Justin, he's always going to put it where it needs to be."
• He thinks the next step for the passing offense is to continue to be consistent throughout the season with teams getting more film on the Buckeyes and play through upcoming bad weather.
• Wilson says the 2018 offense with Dwayne Haskins excited him, so he expected this output.
• He says Day told him in high school he thought he could play any position.
• Those dudes putting up those records, those are the guys I looked to growing." He says he was too young to watch them as a kid but knows what they accomplished.
• Wilson says he's been able to get in a groove. "I think we're as deep as we need to be at receiver."
• "We know what we need to do, and that's score every drive." Says if they do even half of that, they're putting the team in position to win.
• He says as a wide receiver, he "automatically" opens his eyes when he's called to run a downfield pass.
• If he knows he reaches 100 receiving yards: "We had no clue. I'm just playing and once we get to the locker room, figure that out." He says 100 yards is "usually a landmark of a good game" for a wideout.

Shaun Wade

• He says he just cares about getting better as the year goes on. "As a team, we've got to focus on penalties."
• Wade says he's been in position on some of the touchdowns he allowed. "The greatest got caught on. It happens." He says all he ultimately cares about is the win.
• The difference of playing on the outside: "The biggest challenge is probably the distance from the ball." In the slot, throws are closer. He says he's gone back to see film of Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette to watch what they did.
• He says he came back to learn and get better.
• "These last games, I've definitely been trying to go for interceptions." He says he's noticed himself doing that too much. 
• On the touchdown he allowed versus Rutgers: "With that play, I could have just broke the ball up." He says he jumped backward instead of up. 
• If it's hard to think about how NFL teams are evaluating him: "No, because I evaluate myself. My coaches evaluate me." He says if he plays bad and they win the national title, he'll be happy. "My whole life, I was never the superstar of the team."
• Not being in the box and making as many tackles has been different, he says.
• Wade says Maryland is a "very scrappy team." Says this team "looks legit" with "Tua's little brother." Says Tagovailoa is "a dog."
• He says they knew Rutgers would try a lot of trick plays.
• Wade says keeping Tagovailoa in the pocket will be a focus.