A bye week also offers a chance for evaluation.
While most of the evaluations are positive out of a 56-0 victory over Western Michigan, there are some things for Ohio State's coaching staff to look through, as Ryan Day said that the team is evaluating whether Jayden Ballard is the right kick returner moving forward. Day expressed some subtle frustrations with the targeting call against Denzel Burke in the Week 2 contest, stating he "wishes he could say more."
Day also said that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has had "a lot of impact" on Ohio State's running game.
Following Day's time defensive coordinator Jim Knowles took to the lectern to discuss where the team is at on defense following its first shutout since 2019 and first time holding an offense below 100 yards since 2017 against Western Michigan.
Ryan Day
- On what Chip Kelly's brought to the offense: "Anyone who's called a game will tell you that they can get themselves organized up in the box. ... You can't do that when you're on the sideline. He enjoys being up there, being organized. ... It also gives you a really good vantage point of what's going on in the series."
- On the new schemes Kelly has brought to the table: "We ran some speed option the other night, that's something we really haven't done a lot of. ... He's had a lot of impact on the run game."
- Day said that off-field activities during the bye week is about "time management." "We're calling it an improvement week because we have to continue to improve. ... We're gonna work hard to go out there and practice and work on our fundamentals. ... That's the number one thing this week, we've got to stay in rhythm."
- Day liked the effort and intensity from his players on Saturday. "Guys played with emotion, guys played with passion. That's a good start. That's a good sign. We're nowhere near where we need to be."
- Recruiting the right types of people is the key to program culture in the modern day, Day said.
- On the offensive line: "I think it was cleaner. ... There was effort, there was good plays. There was one play where Josh Fryar is running 50 yards down the field. There was a couple plays where Tegra Tshabola was finishing guys into the ground. ... It's just a start. Bigger challenges ahead, but there is encouragement out of that group."
- On where the term "improvement" week originated and how the team responded to it: "When you look at it, you don't usually have two bye weeks. ... These guys are hungry, they don't want to rest right now. They've got a lot of momentum coming out of this game. ... We'll get the guys that are the 1s and 2s and the older guys some reps, but it's important too (that the depth does)."
- Day said he did get some clarification on the targeting call against Denzel Burke against the Broncos. "There was a couple different opinions of that after the game, and I guess that's all I can really say."
- On Kyle McCord's performance at Syracuse: "He's off to a great start. I've only seen a few highlights and it looks like he's doing a great job. ... Happy to see him doing well."
- While Day wants to retain his players as much as possible, he enjoys seeing his quarterbacks do well other places. "Even if you want to leave, it's still time well-spent and invested. You want to see guys go on and do well."
- On what he's seen from Will Howard: "He's got a poise out there. He's got a command out there that you can feel. ... He's able to take the practice and the meeting to the game. ... As time goes on, you'll start to see the ball come out of his hand with even more and more rhythm and more pace."
- "We think that Jayden Ballard had a really good offseason. He was recognized as a gold individual during the offseason. ... The number one thing is taking care of the football, so that has to happen. So we believe in who Jayden is, but we have to take care of the football. So we'll evaluate that this week."
- On Seth McLaughlin: "He's been a pro. Calms everything down inside. ... He just has a calming presence. That's a good feeling as a coach. ... I do think having that tablet on the sideline is very helpful. ... I think it's really helpful in terms of our coaching. ... He gives us great information and he can help us with that, in terms of seeing something in the game."
- Day said that anyone who is playing starting-caliber should continue rolling into games, even close ones. "I think we had over 80 guys play in this game. Good for team morale. ... I think Larry wants to roll guys at defensive end, he wants to roll guys at defensive tackle. ... I think that's up to each position coach."
- On whether the team has considered playing C.J. Hicks along the line of scrimmage: "We have. But we need C.J. right now to play at linebacker. ... We need to find a consistency there that we believe that he can do at linebacker. ... He has to improve. He's gotta continue to grow. We've seen him do it, we know he can do it, but the consistency's just gotta improve."
- On what impressed him the most about his defense: "To me it's the energy. It's guys flying around, it's guys knocking back the line of scrimmage. ... They pretty much dominated like we thought they could."
- On what he said to Denzel Burke after the targeting ejection: "I didn't give him much coaching points at the moment. I gave him a hug and told him he gave all the effort he could. ... Then I told him I'd go to bat for him, and I did."
- Day raved about Ty Hamilton's commitment to the program and what he's provided to the defense at nose guard. "If he can continue to play and take off from where he was Saturday night, he can be an All-Conference player."
Jim Knowles
- On Burke's ejection: "You just have to keep your head up – gray area."
- On the non-statistical things Cody Simon does at linebacker: "Cody's the leader of the defense, the quarterback for the defense. Conscientious young man and bleeds Ohio State. There are so many more things that he gives the team aside from statistics."
- On Mathews filling in: "This is a long season, strange things can happen ... depth is critical. Jermaine is that area of guys who might not be a starter but in our mind he's considered one. ... Came in and did a good job."
- On Arvell Reese and Kayden McDonald: "Arvell, he's made tremendous improvements since he arrived here. He's got tremendous physical tools. ... He's understanding where all the pieces go and he's able to play fast without thinking. ... K-Mac's done a tremendous job since he got here. ... We've been expecting him to have a breakout year and he had a great week."
- Knowles said that he still sees a lot of things to work on for the defense that others don't. "Self-scouting and seeing what I called and how I can have more changeups available when we need them. It's just looking at every play and seeing what we did."
- On if he's more confident in the safety depth between Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford getting more reps. "Yes. Yes. Both of those guys are coming along."
- Knowles also likes the impact of iPads on the sidelines. "We're getting everything in real-time, so you can pretty much grade a player after every series."
- On what he's seen from Ty Hamilton: "He's developed into a dominant player. He's a guy that controls the interior of the line of scrimmage ... he's a cold-blooded gentleman. He's a force."
- On whether Hicks could play on the line of scrimmage: "We haven't discussed that because C.J. is still developing very well and he's still considered very much a part of that mix at linebacker. ... But it's always been in the back of my mind ... I know it may come into play at some point. ... You'd have to experience some depth issues in certain places. We're so talented on the edge right now and our depth is so good."
- On the comfort of having Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs at safety: "You don't sweat it. You know you can go into those two and say, 'This week we want to do this.' ... You just kind of roll."
