In his postgame press conference, Ryan Day called his team's efforts against Indiana a “mixed bag,” as Ohio State's offense was “clunky” and its defense was “disruptive” in the season opener on Saturday.
Day's players would agree with that assessment.
After the Ohio State head coach wrapped up at the podium, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, cornerback Denzel Burke, safety Josh Proctor and defensive end JT Tuimoloau met with the media to discuss the Buckeyes' up-and-down performance versus the Hoosiers. We have videos and summaries from each of those interviews below.
Kyle McCord
In his second career start at Ohio State (Akron in 2021), McCord completed 20 of 33 passes for 239 yards and one interception. The third-year Buckeye said he made a handful of “good plays” in the season opener but believes he has areas to “clean up” before Ohio State welcomes Youngstown State to Columbus next weekend.
Denzel Burke
Despite the Buckeyes' stout defensive performance on Saturday, Burke left Bloomington, Indiana, unsatisfied. Ohio State's No. 1 cornerback said the Buckeyes should have shut out the Hoosiers in Week 1. Burke believes Ohio State should settle for no less than zero points allowed in the future as it strives to become a “dominant defense” and “bring the Silver Bullets back” this season.
Josh Proctor
Proctor agreed with Burke's assessment that Ohio State should aim to shut out its opponents each week: “Our goal is to dominate every time we come out here. ... We don't want any points allowed, we don't want a lot of yards allowed, and that's what we want to come out and play like the Silver Bullets.”
JT Tuimoloau
Tuimoloau was proud of Ohio State's defensive performance on Saturday and wants the Buckeyes to produce the same effort each week: “We have to keep it consistent and do that every game.” He added that Ohio State's defenders “have each other's backs” which makes him believe the Buckeyes will have defensive consistency in 2023.
