While Ohio State/Indiana game week is technically just beginning, the Buckeyes have already been locked in on preparing for the Hoosiers since the middle of last week.
After the Buckeyes' scheduled game against Maryland was canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests at Maryland, Ohio State had the weekend off from playing but not from working, as Ryan Day and the Buckeyes took advantage of the extra time to get a head start on preparing for the Hoosiers.
Now that it actually is Indiana week and the Buckeyes are readying to host the Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium at noon Saturday in a game that could decide who wins the Big Ten East this year, Day made his weekly appearance on the Ohio State IMG Sports Network's Buckeye Roundtable show to talk about what Ohio State was able to work on at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at weekend and what he sees in the 4-0 Indiana team his team is about to face off with.
- How has Indiana, who Ohio State beat 51-10 last year, improved from last season? “In all areas. I think on offense, the quarterback Penix is doing a great job ... the receivers are playing at a high level ... they have a lot of confidence on offense. I think on defense, they're very, very aggressive. Creating a lot of turnovers and pressure.” He said the Hoosiers have a good return game, too, so they'll present challenges in all three phases.
- Day said Ohio State stayed on schedule “the best we could” over the weekend. The Buckeyes took Sunday off and practiced Monday, as they typically do after a bye week. After a game, Ohio State's players typically have Monday off. “I thought practice was really good Saturday, and I thought it was excellent today.”
- Day said the focus during those practices was on maintaining their “edge” and game speed and on getting better, which they still need to do because of how short the season's been.
- Day said Indiana's defense will “come at you in a lot of different ways.”
- Day said he watched college football all day on Saturday. He said he watched some of the Indiana/Michigan State game with the staff at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, then watched some of the 3:30 and night games at home. “There's really nowhere to go right now anyways, with the way everything is.”
- Can you watch those games as a fan and not as a coach? “No. I tried,” responded Day, who said it's hard to turn his brain off and not think as a coach any time he's watching football.
- On the Maryland game cancellation: “I was really looking forward to playing that game, but it is what it is. That's behind us. Now we have to just make sure we do everything we can to make sure we're playing these games moving forward.”
