Ryan Day met with media members Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to review the Buckeyes' Week 11 win over Indiana and preview this Saturday's trip to Maryland.
Day broke down some of the biggest moments from this past weekend's 56-17 victory, answered a couple lingering questions regarding health issues and talked about staying focused on preparation for the Terrapins despite the Michigan game lurking around the corner.
We took notes on everything Day said during his Tuesday press conference below, as well as a subsequent appearance at the podium by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Ryan Day
- Day says "our thoughts are with everyone there in Charlottesville" after the "senseless" killings.
- On Josh Fryar, Day says he "graded out a champion" and played "very well" and "took a step in the right direction with the offensive line."
- On the blocked punt, Day says Parker Fleming made a "great adjustment" in the game to block the punt differently than Ohio State had been practicing it during the week. Day says it was a "turning point" in Saturday's game.
- On Xavier Johnson playing at running back: "He's done both over his career ... you can see his running skills." Day says the Buckeyes always felt like Johnson was "more of a running back than a receiver." Day says his special teams acumen helped him learn multiple positions over the years.
- On not looking ahead too far to Michigan, Day says "March Madness starts the first week of the season around here." Day says "our focus is on Maryland and then going from there."
- Day says "the focus has to be on how we play on Saturday, and that's building at the end of the year." Day says Ohio State can go 11-0 this weekend and still not have reached "any of our goals."
- Day credits Taulia Tagovailoa, some of Maryland's offensive weapons and its defense as standouts for the Terps.
- Day says Paris Johnson Jr. learned early on that football is "what he does, not who he is."
- On Ty Hamilton: "I think he's playing his best football by far, I think you guys have seen it. ... He works every day, he's there every day. We think he's playing at a starter level."
- On Dallan Hayden: "The talent was there, it's a matter of how quickly can they assimilate. ... That's really what you're not sure about with a young player." Day says he's done a good job of not letting the program be too big for him.
- On depth at wide receiver: "If you had said to me that (we wouldn't have missed a beat without Jaxon Smith-Njigba), I wouldn't have believed you." Day says "it's an exciting time to be a wide receiver at Ohio State."
- Day says Smith-Njigba is "one of the best receivers in the country and one of the best slot receivers I've ever been around." Day says there's "no update" on JSN's health.
- On injury frustrations: "It can be very frustrating, for sure." But Day says it's a part of the game and that the Buckeyes will work on recovery in the coming weeks. "The way that you saw us play on Saturday, our guys are strong and they're perservering through it."
- Day says the 2018 Maryland game was referenced at Dwayne Haskins' funeral service this past year as a huge game for his maturity.
- "I think we can play better football in all three phases, and I think we're gonna have to to reach our goals."
- "Our guys know what our goals are. We talked about it at the midyear." Day says "in order to reach our goals, we gotta go win this one, too."
- On running back health, Day says "in a perfect world, everyone's healthy." Day says it will be "a challenge" if TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams can't practice as much this week.
- On the prospect of playing Michigan twice in the same year in the potential divisionless future in the Big Ten, Day says it would be more like the NFL in that case and that it could change the game planning for the matchup.
- Day says "we'll see what Kam (Babb) can do moving forward, physically." Day says "I hope it'll be a lot, but I just don't know." Day says Babb has "really good body language" as a wide receiver and that C.J. Stroud likes to throw him the ball.
- Day says "now we're a nationwide conference" with the addition of USC and UCLA.
- Day says "some guys will be on a pitch count" but that the information he heard this morning health-wise was "promising."
- Day thinks we "have a really good chance" to get Henderson, Williams and Trayanum back this week.
Jim Knowles
- On Ty Hamilton: "Ty's like a cold-blooded gentleman I would say. Quiet, good smile, but tough inside. ... He's earned more playing time."
- Knowles says "you try not to acknowledge" the cast on Tommy Eichenberg's hand because there's not much to be done about it. Knowles says he's given him a couple of tackling suggestions, though.
- Knowles says the play of Cameron Brown and Jordan Hancock at cornerback provided Ohio State a big lift against Indiana.
- On defending Marvin Harrison Jr.: "Marvin's just the best I've ever been around. ... We see it every day." Knowles says if Harrison and Stroud "know what you're doing, they're gonna make plays."
- On Jack Sawyer, Knowles says his play has been "good." Knowles is encouraging Sawyer to be "even more reckless" and that he wants to "do more to really cut him loose."
- Knowles says there's "nothing sexy about" interior line play, which was how "football was initially created." Knowles says there's been standout play from the defensive tackles all season and that it will continue to be important moving forward.
- On playing better offenses the next two weeks, Knowles says "I don't really look at rankings or anything like that until the end of the year." Knowles says "you just have to take it week to week with whoever you're playing and have great habits that turn into a lifestyle and demeanor." Knowles says "if you ever look past somebody because they don't have the right ranking, you're in trouble."
- Knowles says Tagovailoa is a very good "scrambler and playmaker" and he might be "a little banged up," which would explain Maryland's recent lackluster performances.
- On Mike Hall's health: "Ty's played extremely well, so he deserves that opportunity (to start)." Knowles says Hall has "really battled" injury. "He's really fought through some things."
- Knowles says Lathan Ransom can handle "a lot of things" in terms of the Xs and Os of the game, but that he still tries to limit some information so that he can play faster.
