With Ohio State ranked as the No. 1 college football team in America, its archrival in the middle of a sign-stealing scandal and the Buckeyes' primetime matchup vs. Michigan State set for Saturday, Ryan Day sent a message Tuesday that Ohio State's primary goal this week is to "ignore the noise" that surrounds the program.
Day reiterated that message on Wednesday during a 10-question press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center after Ohio State's midweek practice.
"For us, the only thing that matters is playing right now and finishing the season the right way," Day said. "Anything else for us right now is a waste of time. If somebody asks a question or (Ohio State athletic director) Gene (Smith) comes in, we'll talk about it. But other than that, it's all football."
Day also refuted reports that Ohio State shared Michigan's signals with Purdue before the Boilermakers faced the Wolverines in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game.
"Nobody here did any of that," he said. "We went through and made sure we asked all the questions and got our compliance people involved. None of that came back at all. I can answer very strongly that that did not happen."
Here is a bullet-point recap of the head coach's Q&A session:
- On Quinn Tempel: "He does more than that. This year, he was named chief of staff. He's been a huge help to everyone in the building. Certainly a big help for me. ... This is somebody who loves Ohio State football, a huge member of our team, great enthusiasm every day. He's never had a bad day."
- On Patrick Gurd: "This is someone who came in non-scholarship and has earned his way on the field. When you are in a walk-on situation, you have to earn your way on the team. He's done that." Day said it's been "good to see" Gurd show up when called upon.
- On Jack Sawyer: "When you get into year three, you see a maturity there. ... He's an Ohio guy. ... He knows what it means. He knows how special this place is. He embodies everything this program is about. You see it every day. He's a hard-hat kind of guy."
- On whether Ohio State shared information about Michigan with Purdue before the Boilermakers faced the Wolverines in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game: "Nobody here did any of that. We went through and made sure we asked all the questions and got our compliance people involved. None of that came back at all. I can answer very strongly that that did not happen." When asked to follow up more on that, Day said, "I'm not gonna comment on that."
- On how difficult it can be for a team to change signs in the middle of a season: "When you do that, you have to figure out how you are gonna communicate. ... Whether it's a different language or a different sign, that's part of the game."
- On Emeka Egbuka: "He's worked hard to get back in the lineup. ... Great to get him back. ... Now we gotta get (him) back to where we were before where he was an impactful player in the offense."
- On how Ohio State will continue to handle any distractions that surround the program as the season winds down: "For us, the only thing that matters is playing right now and finishing the season the right way."
- Day said Kyle McCord has shown toughness in battling an ankle ailment this season. He said McCord feels good now and has had a great week of practice to this point.
