Ryan Day’s first media appearance of the week started with a bit of a trick question: Could he have scripted a better start than the Buckeyes had against Wisconsin?
“Yes, we’ll work on getting to that point,” Day replied after a laugh.
It will be hard to start out a game much better than the Buckeyes did in their Big Ten opener on Saturday, though, as they rolled out a 28-0 lead in the first 17 minutes before ultimately beating the Badgers 52-21. They’re still going to try this week, though, when they host Rutgers on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) in their fifth straight home game to begin the year.
“We've got to do a great job ... of continuing to build and grow and enhance,” Day said when asked about Saturday’s game against the Scarlet Knights. “Just hold up the standard for what we're holding ourselves up to. And that means we got to get better this week.”
A quick rundown of everything else Day had to say during his appearance on Monday night’s Buckeye Roundtable show on the Ohio State Sports Network:
- Asked if he could script a better start than Ohio State had Saturday against Wisconsin, Day laughed and said,
- On JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown: “It was great to see those guys step up.” He said he gives a lot of credit to secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton for getting them ready to play. “We told them before the game everybody on the team had their back, and they played with great confidence.”
- Day said C.J. Stroud has more freedom this year to adjust plays at the line of scrimmage, but he doesn’t want to Stroud to have to worry about that too much, as he wants Stroud to be able to play with a clear mind. He said Stroud makes some sort of adjustment at the line of scrimmage about one in every five plays.
- On the defensive line’s performance against Wisconsin: “I think overall, the defensive line really won the line of scrimmage.”
- Day said Tommy Eichenberg’s leadership has been “off the charts.”
- On Julian Fleming: “He’s worked really hard. He’s had some bumps along the road, but he’s been resilient ... His presence was definitely in that game (against Wisconsin).” He said Fleming’s physicality as a blocker is a big asset in addition to his skills as a receiver.
- Day said Ohio State will have to start making decisions this week on whether or not to redshirt players as they approach the five-game mark that would prevent them from redshirting this year.
- “When you’re trying to chase greatness and do the things that we want to do this year, you don’t get to be normal.” He said everyone has had to make sacrifices in their personal lives to make sure they take care of their bodies and stay fully committed to the Buckeyes’ pursuit of their goals.
- On Cade Stover’s ability as both a blocker and a receiver from the tight end position: “He’s been able to create some run/pass conflicts.”
- Day said he has a lot of respect for Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and what he’s done in his career. “He's a very good coach. Does a great job schematically and motivating his team. They play very hard.”
