Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says There's a New "Bounce" in Buckeyes' Locker Room After Win Over Tennessee, Dan Lanning Praises Buckeyes' Talent and Coaching Staff

The Buckeyes blasted Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday, setting up a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl for the CFP quarterfinals on Jan. 1. Coming off that victory, Ryan Day said in a press conference Monday there's a new "bounce" in his team's locker room, a confidence in his players' stride.

Day also praised the play of Luke Montgomery and Ohio State's interior offensive line, though the Buckeyes will continue evaluating what that rotation will look like going forward. Oregon coach Dan Lanning met with the media after Day and praised the Buckeyes ahead of the rematch, saying they might be the most talented team in college football.

Ryan Day

• In opening, Day called the Rose Bowl one of the best venues in college football. "The tradition of the Rose Bowl in the Big Ten obviously is well documented and we understand that. ... Every time we go it's a great experience. Certainly have a great opponent in Oregon, excited for the rematch."
• On Will Howard: "Our challenge to Will going into the last game was that he had to be the best leader on the field, and he was. ... When the play caller and the quarterback are on the same page ... that means he's got a great grasp on what we're trying to get done. ... Will, I know, is excited to have an opportunity to play Oregon again."
• On how new gap schemes helped open the run game: "We felt going into the game that that was the right thing to do. ... We certainly got good double-teams on the inside guys and our pullers did well ... and our running backs ran well, ran through contact. ... But we're always looking for balance, and we found that on Saturday, but now we've gotta build on it."
• Day that Jeremiah Smith's most overlooked quality is his size. "When you get up on him, you realize how big he is and how big he plays. ... I think Brian (Hartline) has done a great job again with our receivers. ... Creating separation and making plays is what's important, and our receivers have done that this year, and Jeremiah has certainly done that."
• On Chip Kelly: "I think that he's now, a full season in, he's got an understanding of who we are personnel-wise, in the Big Ten, what that looked like. ... He's got an entire understanding of football, different football. ... The number one job of the coordinator is put the offense in the best position to be successful. ... I feel like we had a good balance this past game."
• Balancing the emotions of the playoff is about focusing on preparation and execution, Day said. "Is it super exciting? I guess not. But that's what it is. ... I think both teams are in different places than when we played last time."
• On Oregon's offense and the test it will provide the Buckeyes' defense, which was re-engineered after its loss to the Ducks earlier this season: "They do a great job on offense, throwing the ball, running the ball. ... It's a challenge, we've seen that live and in color. We've made adjustments coming off of that game and we've worked hard to make sure we're putting our guys in the best position to be successful. ... But our defense is playing with great confidence. ... They're continuing that build from after we played these guys the first time."
• On whether the Buckeyes will go off the first Oregon game for their game plan or just view the back half of the season: "A little bit of both. ... There's been a lot of football played since then. I feel like we've evolved, they've evolved. ... Ultimately, we want to make sure we're putting together a great game plan so our guys can play fast."
• Day said Ohio State will want to look over its "overrage" plays from the first time it faced Oregon, calls that it didn't use. But there will also be new concepts as both the Buckeyes' defense and Ducks' offense has evolved.
• On the modern era of recruiting: "Our foundation is recruiting high school players and then developing them and maintaining them. ... The majority of our team are guys that decided to come back. ... All things that are taken into consideration."
• On Luke Montgomery and the interior of the offensive line: "I thought that they all played well. I felt like Justin (Frye) working the rotation in the way they did allowed them to play fast. ... On those 30 or 31 plays, I thought he did a really nice job. ... I could feel his presence out there. Austin played really well, Tegra had some really good plays. ... They'll need to play well. (The Ducks) have very good players inside, up front."
• Day added that Ohio State will continue evaluating its best offensive line game plan going forward.
• On the energy of the team and whether it can use the Tennssee win as a "springboard:" "You can feel the confidence in the locker room. ... Have to make some adjustments like we always do ... but there was just a general bounce and confidence coming off the game, having a playoff win under our belt."

Dan Lanning

• Lanning expressed anticipation for the matchup in his opening statement. "It's something we're extremely excited about. ... I think it's a great representation of what the Big Ten is capable of. ... We're certainly exciting."
• On his thoughts when the bracket was released: "Obviously Ohio State's a great team, and the path to the end is tough, which is exciting for our team and for me."
• On the difficulty of a potential 16-game season: "The real challenge in there has been to make sure that we're keeping our guys fresh, our players ready. ... They've attacked every day and put a lot of trust in the coaching staff."
• Lanning said he wanted to build his coaching identity around winning and an ability to evolve. "Winning. I want to be one of those guys who wins. ... I don't want to be known as the same coach 10 years from now that I am today."
• On defensive end Jordan Burch: "God doesn't make a lot of people that look like Jordan Burch. ... He plays like a beast on the field, relentless effort."
• On reviewing the first game: "You look at what worked, you look at what didn't work and you try to play to your strengths. ... There's going to be differences from last game for sure."
• On Will Howard: "He's a big body, he's hard to get down. More than that, I think he's been able to build some confidence in the guys he's throwing the ball to. ... He certainly threw a lot of good balls the other night, was able to target those guys for explosive plays down the field."
• Lanning spoke highly of the Buckeyes. "I don't know if there's a more talented team in the country. ... They've got talent across the board at really every position. Schematically, they pitch a lot of things to you that stress you. ... Defensively, they keep their foot on the gas ... it seems like they're in the right call a lot of the time."
• Lanning is confident in quarterback Dillon Gabriel's ability to both throw and run the ball. "Dillon's proven that throughout the year, that he can do both."
• On Ohio State's offensive line: "I think they've done a really good job. ... Having the ability to shuffle and put guys where you need to put them and create that continuity is really important, and they've been able to do that."
• Lanning said the Ducks will arrive in Pasadena as early as required, but wants to make it as late as possible. "Ultimately, we'd like to get there as close as we can to a normal game week."
• On Gabriel's calmness under pressure: "I've been really impressed with Dillon's poised. ... He's been able to stay cool as the backside of the pillow in big moments and it's certainly paid off for us."
• On the biggest thing he looks at from the first Ohio State game that his team will have to do better: "We have to continue to make sure that we can convert on third downs, have success in the red area. ... Special teams play. I think, is very important in these games. ... Not taking any play for granted.