Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Expects Jaxon Smith-Njigba And Julian Fleming to Play Against Toledo, Calls Ohio State's Penalties "Ridiculous"

Day reviewed Ohio State's 45-12 win over the Red Wolves and looked ahead to the forthcoming game against the Rockets this weekend, when he expects injured wideouts Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming to return to the field for the Buckeyes.

After Day, Buckeye defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and quarterback C.J. Stroud stepped up to the microphone to answer questions at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Here's a bullet-point breakdown of what everybody had to say on Tuesday.

Ryan Day

• On Caden Curry: "The more he plays the more he's gonna find a role for himself. He's been productive since he got here."
• Day says the Buckeye offensive line has "a long way to go" and feels "OK" about the depth.
• Calls Tommy Eichenberg "solid" so far and says he's been playing fast out there alongside Steele Chambers.
• Day says he knows Toledo head coach Jason Candle "pretty well, actually," through various coaching events over the years.
• Day says "I'm very critical" about the Buckeyes' performance against Arkansas State.
• Day says "last season we had starters who weren't ready, let alone second- or third-string." Day says a lot of young guys are "overwhelmed" right now because they're "still trying to figure everything out."
• Day says "we're going to expect (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) to play this weekend," but the team won't risk his health if he's not 100%.
• On Dallas Gant, Day says he and his family were "excellent throughout the recruiting process" at Ohio State. Day says "we're all kind of getting used to this transfer portal and how it works."
• Day says you have to follow through with what you say if going to happen through the recruiting process, and if that doesn't happen, there'll be problems.
• "We're a different team when Jaxon's in there, there's no question." However, Day says it's allowed the opportunity for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeke Egbuka to make plays and gain confidence.
• "Cade's a weapon for us." Days says the strength of the WRs allows Stover to get a lot of one-on-one matchups.
• "I thought what Gee (Scott Jr.) brought to the table really helped us in that game."
• Day says Denzel Burke "certainly has some plays he wants back," but that everyone in the program is confident he'll make the adjustments necessary to improve.
• Day says he's expecting Julian Fleming to play against Toledo as well, and says his situation is "very similar" to Smith-Njigba's.
• "JK (Johnson)'s done a really good job, JK has a lot of skill. It means a lot to him, he's practiced well."
• Day says Toledo is well-coached and doesn't expect the Rockets to be intimidated.
• Day says he noticed in the preseason that Mike Hall was going to be a force for Ohio State: "If he can keep building on that, a lot of good things are gonna happen."
• Day on Proctor: "Josh is gonna play. But like at any position, you gotta produce."
• On the split of carries at running back, Day says "it's gone about how we expected." Day says the Buckeyes have to continue that.
• On Miyan Williams, Day says he's "ahead of where I thought he'd be six months ago."
• Day says the run game is "nowhere where we need to be," but that it's "cleaner than I expected" so far.
• Day says Jordan Hancock suffered a "pretty significant" injury that took a long time to return from, but that "we're hoping to see him on the field this weekend."
• Day says Egbuka, Harrison and Johnson have been "stretched pretty thin" in the opening couple weeks due to injuries to Fleming and Smith-Njigba.
• "I wouldn't say I'm pleased because we have to have that edge and know where we need to be." Day says penalties have to improve. "The coaching's got to improve, the execution's got to get better, the pad level's got to get better."

Jim Knowles

• Knowles says "when it all comes together, it's a beautiful thing to watch" on the Buckeye defense. "When it comes together it's satisfying, but I don't get much time to enjoy it."
• On Mike Hall, Knowles says "he's a talented guy, but it's effort and more of a habit." Knowles says "we've been talking about Mike Hall since I got here. ... That's just how he plays."
• Knowles says he thought Hall could be special since "the first time I saw him go full speed against talented offensive linemen." Knowles says "the sky's the limit in terms of where he can end up."
• Knowles says forcing teams to kick field goals instead of score touchdowns is "one area we've been doing very well."
• On Hall, Knowles says "there are some guys who just go hard every single play. He's always going hard, and that's something that's going to lead his game to higher levels."
• On Caden Curry: "He's another guy that I noticed right when I got here. His first step, he's tough. ... I think he showed that he can play, he can definitely be in the mix."
• Knowles says the Buckeyes had some missed tackles last game, and that it's a habit formed in practice.
• Jim Knowles on Denzel Burke's "ups and downs" to start the season: "Denzel's fine. Those guys at corner, they live on an island. It's something that 99.99% of the population could never do. ... We trust him."
• Knowles says sometimes a player (in reference to Burke) can seem a little behind or a little off, and that's when you take them out of the game.
• On Cody Simon and Steele Chambers: "Steele is athletic, Cody has a good physical presence and experience and a very stable mindset that I think the rest of the team picks up on. He can handle calls, checks and he brings that presence to the defense."
• Knowles says C.J. Hicks has "great talent, great attitude," but is young and still needs to build up reps in practice. "It's hard to get him in the mix right now."
• On the notion of a "bend-but-don't-break" defense: "I don't like it. I would never call a defense I was associated with that."

C.J. Stroud

• On Smith-Njigba and Fleming, Stroud says "even if they don't come back, I know we'll be fine. But hopefully they do."
• Stroud says Gee Scott Jr. is a "very dynamic tight end" and "adds a lot of positives to our offense." Stroud says "we'll continue to use him more and more."
• Stroud says Dallas Gant is one of his "good friends" but that won't change much about his mentality going into this game.
• "Still have a lot more improvement to still do, but I think we're making strides. ... We're getting better."
• "Arkansas State was not a bad team at all. They had a lot of dynamic transfers. ... They weren't as bad as everybody thought."
• On Fleming: "He's been working on his game a lot this summer. ... He's definitely stepped his game up with (route-running)." Stroud says Fleming will "definitely be used a lot" when he gets back on the field.
• On Donovan Jackson at guard: "I definitely think he'll have a bright future."
• Stroud says Jeremy Ruckert was "probably the first true tight end I've ever played with."
• Stroud says Cade Stover is "like a little Gronk," and that the Buckeyes will definitely continue to feed him.
• Stroud on the number of upsets in Week 2: "I think it's exciting. I know some teams took some losses, but it just shows you can lose to anybody. Everybody's coming to take your spot in the rankings. ... We don't want to learn that the hard way again."