Fresh off of Saturday's triumphant win over Penn State, Ryan Day took to the podium at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to address a number of topics at his first press conference of the week.
The Buckeye head coach reviewed Ohio State's latest win, previewed its forthcoming road matchup with Northwestern, discussed Tuesday's first College Football Playoff rankings and issued several other updates about his team.
Following Day, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline answered questions from media members as well. We took notes on everything the Buckeyes said below:
Ryan Day
- On Miyan Williams' health: "I think what we gotta do is stick to the policy with the injuries. ... Once I start going down the road with one person, then I start getting asked about everybody else." Day says Williams' injury is "not serious."
- Day says it would be "really nice" to get Dallan Hayden and Chip Trayanum on the field to get some reps over the next couple weeks.
- Day "will not watch" the CFP rankings show, but thinks Ohio State should "absolutely" be among the top four teams.
- Day says the "number one goal" in any Penn State game is simply to win the game. Day says the turnover margin was a huge part of Ohio State's ability to win the game. Day also says Ohio State still has plenty of things to clean up.
- "These are good Big Ten defenses that make you work. ... We're not all the sudden gonna go pass-happy. We're not doing that." Day says if the game kept going in the fourth quarter, "we coulda kept going too" on offense.
- On staying focused despite playing some lesser competition over the next couple weeks: "You have to continue to do what you're doing and get better every week. If you don't, not only do you show weakness, but you set yourself up for failure down the road."
- Day says he knows Northwestern doesn't have "the record they want to," but that the Buckeyes still have to "play football."
- On delay of games calls against PSU: "The crowd noise was certainly an issue." Day says "because of all the communication issues right there, we could've gotten it done more quickly."
- On the cornerback rotation: "I thought Penn State played well at receiver and they made some good plays. But I thought we were there again, and I thought the corner play was better. ... Looking forward to getting Cam (Brown) back, but good to see Jordan Hancock back in there."
- Day says Ohio State "can clean it up" in the run game but doesn't think there are "glaring" issues when he reviews the tape.
- On Tyleik Williams having a bigger role: "We played 80 plays on defense," but Day says Williams has been playing better in practice regardless. "Tyleik is very talented, but I think he's learning the game more every week." Day says the Buckeye D-line had a "great energy" on Saturday, even when they weren't on the field.
- Day says his players were more inclined to use their platforms for political reasons during the last presidential election, but that his players "do share" their beliefs and stances.
- On Cade Stover: "Listen, Cade was unbelievable on Saturday. ... It was his leadership on the sideline, I mean he never wavered. He was right there." Day says "any team in America" is gonna want a player like Stover.
- Day says Stroud understands that "the number one thing is winning," and that won't always mean he'll have gaudy stats. However, Day says "that happens naturally."
- On Trayanum at RB: "He's a running back full-time as of now. He's learned the offense, so he was ready to go Saturday if we needed him."
- "Even in special teams this week, we asked some guys to play on special teams this week" that don't typically play. "Overall it was solid."
- On Denzel Burke: "I think the first thing is he's practicing consistently. He's playing every game at a high level." Day says "he now has probably six games or so playing in the system," and that's only helped him improve.
- On announcing J.T. Tuimoloau as the Defensive Player of the Game: "It's a big deal to grade out a champion. It's a huge deal. ... The guys went nuts. Certainly one of the most historic games in college football. I guess it's not an exaggeration to say that given what he did."
- Day is "absolutely" confident that Jaxon Smith-Njigba could still play for Ohio State this season, but thinks the Buckeyes could still achieve their goals without him.
- On the shared tunnel at Michigan: "I'm not gonna go down that road. ... We try to plan ahead to make sure there's no issues."
- Day says Paris Johnson Jr. is "getting better every week" but is "nowhere near where he wants to be." Day says he "doesn't know" if Johnson has given up a sack this season.
- On Stroud's level of play with the game on the line: "I don't think he's done anything extraordinary," but says "that moment doesn't get too much for him." Day says Stroud stays even-keel at the end of games and likes to put the team on his back.
- Day says Stover brought a "level of edge to the (Rose Bowl) practice" because he switched the defense. But Day says "all the time he's put in has paid off" after coming back to tight end.
Jim Knowles
- Knowles says you can feel "a rush and then a drop" after the excitement of a defensive touchdown and then having to go straight back onto the field.
- On Tyleik Williams: "He's got really freakish athletic ability at that size." Knowles says Williams has been earning more and more reps with his play in practice.
- Knowles says Ohio State gave up "too many" big plays against Penn State. "We had a few too many against Penn State, and we've dealt with them."
- Knowles jokes that a defensive touchdown should subtract points from the opposing offense, rather than add to the points total for the scoring team.
- Knowles says Tuimoloau's athletic ability is "very unique." Knowles says he's been around guys with unique athletic traits, but "not at that size. ... I don't think any of us were surprised" by the game he had against Penn State.
- On J.T. against Penn State: "Yes, it is the best" performance Knowles has ever seen by a defensive end. Knowles says Tuimoloau dominated "in every phase of the game."
- Knowles says Tommy Eichenberg was "up too high" on the missed tackle on Penn State's fourth-and-goal touchdown early in the fourth quarter. "That just means we shouldn't stop practicing."
- On Lathan Ransom's personality: "He is one of those guys that never shows fear, never shows frustration or fatigue." Knowles says Ransom "has the ability to run through a wall and not be fazed by it."
- Knowles says "we benefit" from Mickey Marotti's work in the weight room as assistant coaches.
- Knowles says it's "really pretty quiet" on the headset when a defensive touchdown takes place, although he's sure everyone is "going crazy on the sideline." Knowles says "upstairs, it's on to the next play."
Brian Hartline
- Hartline says the freshmen wideouts are "gaining more and more momentum" as the season moves along. Hartline says "a couple of guys are really starting to come out of that group."
- On Julian Fleming: "Julian has done a great job, as you guys have seen. He's gotta continue to progress." Hartline says "what he's capable of, I'm not even sure what he's capable of."
- On Cade Stover: "I think Cade's doing a phenomenal job." Hartline says the entire tight end room "has taken a big step," and Stover is "a big part of that."
- On Sam Wiglusz: "I wouldn't say we're too shocked here. We always knew what he was." Hartline says "you don't always need extraordinary ability" to have a big impact on the football field.
- Hartline says the development of players like Xavier Johnson and Jayden Ballard has been important for the Ohio State wide receivers room. "We're on a good track right now."
- On Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka: "I think they hold themselves to a higher expectation than probably we hold them to." Hartline says they are carrying the torch from Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
- On Smith-Njigba: "He's beating himself up a little bit. He's been better this week. ... He wants to play in the worst way." Hartline says he has a "huge level of confidence" that he'll play again for the Buckeyes.
- Hartline says Harrison has "beyond professional" work ethic. "There's a lot of professionals that never worked like him." Hartline says he's "overachieved" a pro-level work ethic.
- Hartline says it's "mind-blowing" to see media members write about expectations for true freshmen to be playing right away at wideout.
- Hartline says Olave was "not vocal," but that Fleming is very vocal in the wide receivers room. Hartline says being vocal is "not Marvin's cup of tea."
- On Stroud: "His calm definitely provides a lot of confidence." Hartline says that's a "growth spot" for Stroud since he first came into the program.
