Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Quinn Ewers is "Making Progress," Garrett Wilson Will Return Against Purdue

Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson reviewed Saturday's victory over Nebraska and looked ahead to the Boilermakers, while Buckeye safety Marcus Williamson and kicker Noah Ruggles followed at the mic after the two Ohio State coaches.

Here's a bullet-point rundown of everything the Buckeyes said Tuesday.

Ryan Day

• "We have to be smart when the shots are there, and we have to take them." Day says Stroud "forced the ball down the field on his second interception."
• Day says Quinn Ewers has been "making progress" and is "looking more comfortable walking around the facility." Day says he's getting more reps now.
• Day says Jack Miller is going to be off the team "at least until the end of the week." Day says he will be suspended until more information is found about his situation.
• Day says he's looking forward to have Garrett Wilson back on the field this week after he missed the last game.
• Day says he'd like to see the carries split up a bit more between the Ohio State running backs. TreVeyon Henderson has handled the lion's share of the attempts in the past two games.
• On C.J. Stroud not running the ball as much as some think he should: "It's hard to tell somebody what to do in those situations ... you have to trust your instincts." Day says Stroud has extended plays at times with his legs this season. Day says there might have been a couple of plays where Stroud might have been able to pick up three or four yards.
• Day says Julian Fleming and Marvin Harrison Jr. both have "bright futures here" and that they're "starting to show what they can do."
• On Parker Fleming and the special teams unit, Day says "you would be impressed" with a live look in on an Ohio State special teams walkthrough.
• Day says "the penalties have been getting us out of whack" in the run game. "We have to avoid those things." 
• On David Bell and the Purdue pass attack: "I think they have a very good passing offense." Day says the Boilermakers have more receiving options than just Bell.
• "Our No. 1 goal is to win, and that's all that matters to us." Day says college football is "maybe the only sport where it matters how you win," and not just that a team wins in general.
• Day says "if we don't win this game, (the CFP conversation) doesn't matter."
• Day says "when the time is right and you need to do it, you need to do it. But at the same time, putting our guys at risk in a long season is not something we do here."
• "You can see (Stroud)'s got some scars on him now, and that's a good thing for a quarterback."
• Day says he "loves multi-sport guys," and that he "almost jumped through the phone" at a coach that told his son he needed to decide on one sport to play when he was in fifth grade.
• Day says the basketball players on the football team (Dawand Jones, Cade Stover, etc.) could not beat Rutgers in a basketball game. "They're not as good as they think they are."
• On Noah Ruggles, Day says he "stays away from him," and that he's been "nothing but professional" ever since joining the program.
• Day says Purdue is "one of the top defenses in the country" when it comes to the front seven, and says George Karlaftis is one of the top defensive ends in the nation. Day says Purdue has "a whole bunch of" really good players.
• Day says "you never heard a word out of Jaxon" when the second-year wideout wasn't getting the ball a lot at the beginning of the season. Day says Smith-Njigba "has a mature approach to this thing."
• "The last two defenses we've played have been excellent defenses. We have another one this week." Day says "we have to execute better, and our guys understand that."
• On Tyreke Smith, Day says "when you're a veteran, you have to produce, especially in November." Day says Smith has started to show up for the Buckeyes. "He's somebody on a young team that's a veteran guy."

Kevin Wilson

• Wilson says it's possible to "over-prepare" on offense when you're playing a team that uses a lot of tricks on defense. Wilson says Jeff Brohm has a knack for pulling out tricks at the right time.
• On Paris Johnson, Wilson says he is an option at right tackle this year, but that Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere are the top choices to fill in if something happens to Dawand Jones on the right or Petit-Frere himself on the left.
• Wilson says Day has "never told (Stroud) not to run," and that "the plays we've emphasized have not been as much quarterback-oriented run."
• Wilson says the offensive line hasn't gotten the "vertical push" it needs in the run game as of late.
• Wilson believes it's possible that an offensive lineman can be "too tall" to play inside, but that Munford and Johnson are "good knee-benders."
• "In the six conference games, we're still over five yards a carry." Wilson says when the Buckeyes have had to run the ball in the fourth quarter of the past two games, they have been able to do so. Wilson says Ohio State needs to run the ball better.
• Wilson says the Buckeyes "have to win ugly sometimes," and that November is the time to run the ball.
• Wilson says Chris Olave was wide open on a double move down the sideline on the play that Stroud was strip-sacked in the fourth quarter against Nebraska. "When you're calling plays, you have to have the courage to take the criticism if it doesn't work."
• On Cade Stover and Mitch Rossi, Wilson says he'd like to get both of them into the game more.
• "I was worried about our players being distracted" against Nebraska. Wilson says the Buckeyes have learned to manage their NIL opportunities as the season has gone on.
• Wilson says he loves tight ends that play multiple sports growing up, because competitive environments help kids deal with success and failure. "The more the better."
• On Rossi getting a target on a screen pass against Nebraska, Wilson said that was an option play, and that Rossi just so happened to be in on the rotation. "It was basically an RPO."
• Wilson says the Buckeyes don't do "locked in scripts" when it comes to play selection. Wilson says early in the game, Ohio State must work to soften up opposing defenses.
• Wilson says Day said to the Buckeyes' offensive coaches recently that everyone must take ownership and be better in order for Ohio State to execute better down the stretch of games.
• "You don't play high-level football and win championships kicking field goals." Wilson says he appreciates the work of Noah Ruggles as of late, but that "we've got to score touchdowns."

K Noah Ruggles

• On how his life has changed: "I actually don't spend too much time on campus, I have class two times a week." However, Ruggles says a lot of people have been telling him "good job, nice kick."
• Ruggles says "the stadium is a lot bigger" at Ohio State, and that practices in Columbus are run "a lot smarter" than they are at North Carolina.
• Ruggles says he used to be a soccer player, and didn't start taking football kicking seriously until he was a junior in high school.
• "I didn't have many expectations, I just wanted to come in and make an impact." Ruggles says he's just taking his journey "one day at a time."
• "The guys on my kickoff team are a bunch of savages." Ruggles says "we take special teams seriously here" at Ohio State.
• On nerves, Ruggles says he gets nervous leading into games, but that he gets locked in once the game starts.
• On kicking in cold temperatures, Ruggles says he had some of his best kicking performances in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.
• Ruggles says he got to play soccer with some of the players on the Columbus Crew recently when members of the Buckeye team went to a game, and that it was a "dream come true."
• Ruggles says his dream has been to become an NFL player ever since he was a junior in high school.
• Ruggles says he's thought about coming back next season for his last eligibility, but that his family is taking the decision day by day.
• Ruggles says he "passed on some smaller opportunities" in the transfer portal because he wanted to be a part of something big at Ohio State.
• "These past two years I've really locked onto a routine with (stretching) and just taking care of my body."
• Ruggles says he treats "every kick like a game-winning opportunity."
• Ruggles says he only kicks a couple days a week in practice at Ohio State, but that at North Carolina he had to practice kicking every day, even the day after games or if he was banged up.

S Marcus Williamson

• Williamson says "it's very hard to win games, especially at this level. To do it at this week takes a lot of hard work, a lot of repetition."
• On the 2018 Purdue game, Williamson says he doesn't think about it too much.
• "I think other teams often make good plays, make the big ones sometimes, but I'm sure the coaches will have a good plan to attack that." Williamson on the Buckeyes giving up a couple big plays in the passing game against Nebraska.
• On the physicality he's displayed lately, Williamson says the unit takes pride in its fundamentals and tackling.
• On approaching the end of his Ohio State career, Williamson says he's "extremely grateful just to have the opportunity to play at a program that means so much to me ... I try to approach every day with that mindset. Just loving life."
• Williamson says the team talks about being aggressive "all the time." Williamson says "it's what we do around here, it's a way of life."
• On David Bell being able to get wide open despite being the focus of opposing defenses: "Some people are just amazing players ... we have a ton of respect for him."
• Williamson shouts out his mom as a person that has given him perspective in life with her hard work and passion. Williamson says "it's so rewarding to just give and to pour into others."