The Drought is Over
Caleb Downs scores Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown since 2014.
Before Ohio State's final home game of the season vs. Minnesota, head coach Ryan Day met with reporters at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday to preview the Big Ten matchup and provide updates on the Buckeyes with under 72 hours to kickoff.
Amid a 10-question Q&A press conference, Day said Ohio State's third-year players have had "a huge impact on the team," the Buckeyes' health is "at just about max capacity" before the Minnesota game and that Sonny Styles' maturity matches that of Parris Campbell when he was at Ohio State.
Here is a bullet-point recap of the session:
- On whether Ohio State's run game is different now than at the start of the year: "Not that much different. You try to figure out what they do best — the running backs the best, the group the best. But ultimately, it's not like it's drastically different. ... It's about the details, the little things, the highest levels of execution."
- On Ohio State's third-year players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Hederson, JT Tuimoloau, Denzel Burke, Jack Sawyer and others: "That group, they came in and played a bunch early on. That was great because we're starting to see them play like veterans in year three. When you see some of them, it's hard to think they've been here for three years. ... They've already had a huge impact on our team. ... (This team) has had experiences and comes to work every day. They push each other. They are determined to reach our goals."
- On Ohio State's defensive tackles: "The whole group is gonna get challenged." Day said Tywone Malone, Hero Kanu, Jaden McKenzie and others have stepped up to this point in the season and will need to continue getting better as the season continues. "The practice looks good. Those guys are ready to go. Larry (Johnson) has a lot of confidence to put them in the game."
- On whether he would want Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to coach in The Game: "It's like I said, I appreciate it. ... But we gotta beat Minnesota. We gotta play our best football. ... Worry about the things we can control." Day was also asked if he believes Michigan stole Ohio State's signs, but the coach said he would not comment on the matter.
- On Carnell Tate: "You can see the talent. If he continues on (his) path, he's gonna have a great career."
- On Ohio State's emphasis on the run game: "It starts with the run game and putting (defenders) in conflict. You're gonna mix in drop-back pass, that's part of the game. ... With our talent on the perimeter, that's why running the ball is so important."
- On Ohio State's health: "Very important. I feel good. I feel like we are gonna be at just about max capacity. ... Coming down the home stretch, I feel good about it. But it's week-to-week. ... It's important that you have everybody and the bullets in the chamber."
- On Sonny Styles: "It's easy to see his skill set. You see his size, you can see what he can do. ... You can see his range." Day also said Styles has a "quiet confidence" and is "very mature." He said Styles reminds him of former Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell, who came in with a level of maturity that has set a standard in the program even after his departure.
