In an appearance on Buckeye Roundtable on Monday and press conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday, Ryan Day made himself clear: Despite the distractions outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center – above all else – Ohio State wants to beat Wisconsin on Saturday. Day reiterated that message on The Ryan Day Radio Show on Thursday.
"We know we're going into a really difficult environment. We know they're gonna be gassed up for this one. We're gonna have to play well," Day said. "We want to play our best football to date, and I still think that's out there."
Here is a recap of Day's appearance on the show, plus some comments from Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline:
Ryan Day
On Ohio State's practices this week
- "Good practice. Great weather."
- "We knew it would be important to have a great week of practice coming off last week. ... We know it's gonna be a great challenge going on the road."
- On Camp Randall Stadium: "Great place to play. One of the great environments in college football."
"If we're going to build a championship level team here we need to be consistent." - @ryandaytime
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) October 26, 2023
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On the environment at Ohio Stadium, Marvin Harrison Jr.
- "The environment was electric."
- Day said Ohio State "fed off" the energy the crowd at Ohio Stadium provided for them from before kickoff until after the game.
- "What a great performance by a lot of guys, but Marvin these past two years has really stepped up in those games." Day also named dropped JT Tuimoloau, Jordan Hancock and Cade Stover, who he said had excellent performances against the Nittany Lions.
- Day called Penn State "a great team." He said the Buckeyes winning in the fashion they did proved a lot about how far Ohio State can go this season.
On Sonny Styles
- "He can do so many different things." Day said Styles can cover receivers, blitz off the edge, shadow the quarterback and so much more. "When you have that versatility, it gives Jim (Knowles) a lot of options."
- "He's a student of the game, another guy that works really hard."
On Ohio State's linebackers
- "The best defenses I've been around have really good linebackers."
- Day said Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers and Cody Simon have been leaders on Ohio State's defense this season. "All three of our guys have become veteran players. We are gonna need them on Saturday if we are gonna win this game."
On TreVeyon Henderson
- Day said TreVeyon Henderson is "full-go" ahead of Ohio State's matchup with Wisconsin on Saturday.
- "Excited to get him back out there."
- "Trey has had a really good week of practice."
- Day said Henderson has worked hard to play the past three weeks against Maryland, Purdue and Penn State, but Ohio State's coaches and medical staff didn't want to risk further injury at any point.
On Ohio State's special teams
- Day said Ohio State has learned from its miscue where a Penn State punt hit Lorenzo Styles Jr. and resulted in Penn State keeping possession. "We had that blunder. That was a big one. ... That's one of the things we have to do a great job of recognizing."
- Day said Jayden Ballard is a player who needs to step up for the Buckeyes on special teams as the season continues. "He's replacing Emeka in that spot. We need him to be clutch."
- Day said Jesse Mirco's 72-yard punt vs. Penn State "really flipped the field." He added that Mirco's punt was "really well executed" and was one of the plays of the game for the Buckeyes.
On whether Ohio State will or will not play with tempo vs. Wisconsin
- "We'll see what the game brings. We'll have to adapt from there."
- "You have to find a rhythm on both sides of the ball."
On Kyle McCord's development after seven games
- "He can come off the field and communicate what he saw."
- "We want him to continue to help in the run game."
- Day said he has been pleased with how McCord has controlled and maintained Ohio State's pace of play offensively in the early weeks of the season.
On Ohio State's red-zone run game
- Day said Ohio State has considered all options for its red-zone run packages. He said Devin Brown's is unfortunate, but he looks forward to seeing how the Buckeyes can adapt in the coming weeks.
- Day said several players have lobbied to fill Devin Brown's role as a red-zone runner. "Jack Sawyer is one of them. He said, 'I wore 33, he wore 33, why can't I go out there?' ... I said, 'Jack, let's worry about playing defensive end.'"
On Wisconsin
- "They are always big, physical, strong. That's the same this year on offense."
- "(Braelon) Allen is a big, strong back, and their line is big. They'll cover you up. They're powerful."
- "Their quarterback, (Braedyn) Locke, has some confidence coming into this game."
- "We want to play our best football to date. We still think that's out there."
Coach Day on the challenge Wisconsin poses for the Buckeyes:
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) October 26, 2023
"We want to play our best football to date and I still think it's out there."
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On Luke Fickell, the Wisconsin coaching staff
- "I think they're doing a great job playing to their personnel."
- "They're utilizing the talent they have and the skill sets that they have."
- "They're doing a really good job."
On Ohio State's offense seeking improvement each week
- "We're seeing the progress there."
- Day said when Ohio State gets TreVeyon Henderson back "and some other guys back" that the Buckeyes will "get going" on offense."
- Day said "a couple of guys" have stepped up in practice and on scout team that have given the Buckeyes good looks ahead of their matchup with Wisconsin.
On Tristan Gebbia
- "You think about where Tristan is and where Lincoln (Kienholz) is – that's two very different situations."
- Day said he calls Gebbia "Coach," and so do Kyle McCord, Devin Brown and Kienholz.
- Day said Gebbia has been an integral part of Ohio State's quarterback room and has passed off helpful knowledge and information to the younger players.
On Jim Knowles
- "It started last year. There's been a lot of great progress made."
- "I think he's done a great job."
- Day said Ohio State's defensive improvements have been as much player-driven as coach-driven: "Ultimately, it comes down to the players taking ownership. ... It comes down to players and what they do on the field. I think our guys are playing with confidence. You could see the confidence on Saturday (against Penn State)."
- "Certainly, defense is gonna be a big part of the game on Saturday."
On Ohio State playing on the road
- "There's such great stadiums in the Big Ten. Great environments."
- "When you score, and it gets quiet, it's a different feeling than when you score at home, and it gets loud."
- Day said having success on the road feeds the "competitor" in all coaches and players.
- Day said people "expect a show" when Ohio State plays on the road. "It's our job to give them one."
On Carson Hinzman
- "There's been a lot of firsts for him. There's been a lot of growth for him there."
- "He's a big part of the offensive line."
- On Ohio State's offensive line: "The encouraging thing is that there's still growth to be had here."
On Ohio State playing in-state opponents in the future
- "Probably a question for someone else. I don't know at this point."
- "The future looks a lot different than things did in the past."
- "It's exciting to see that there will be some new teams on the schedule. ... Some good teams."
- Day said it would be "special" to have more in-state opponents on Ohio State's future schedules. "It would. There's no question."
Brian Hartline
On Marvin Harrison Jr.
- "He asks all the right questions."
- "He looks to be perfect in all that he does."
- Hartline said Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson have the same mindset as Harrison as those players look to be the best wide receiver room in America."
On Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State's depth
- "Miss 'Mek. Can't wait to have 'Mek back," Hartline said. But he said Xavier Johnson, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss have done an excellent job making up for his absence.
- Hartline said his receivers "work hard," which makes him proud.
On Ohio State's wide receivers as run blockers
- "They are willing blockers."
- "We have to keep getting better. Never assume you have it."
- Hartline said wide receivers being willing to block is an underrated part of the
On traveling to Wisconsin, Camp Randall Stadium
- Hartline quickly pointed out that Ohio State will be on the road at Camp Randall Stadium on Halloween weekend. "This is gonna be one heck of an electric environment."
- Hartline said Ohio State has to start fast on Saturday.
- Hartline said he and Ohio State's offensive coaches have worked on a good game plan for the matchup.
