Ohio State is projected to get its only injured starter back for Week 4.
In Ryan Day's words, Donovan Jackson is "ready to roll" for the Buckeyes' scheduled bout with Marshall on Saturday. He'll be back in the fold on offense but one player who won't is Caleb Downs, as Day said he's focused on being the "best safety in America" and has no plans for running back unless it's an emergency.
Following Day's meeting with the media offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Will Howard took to the lectern to discuss the development of Ohio State's offense as the Buckeyes exit their bye week.
Ryan Day
- On what Will Howard is improving at that others aren't seeing: "His demeanor. ... You're getting to see the command when you watch him play. ... It's good to see him getting more and more comfortable every day."
- Lorenzo Styles Jr. is showing he wants to play more with his special teams performance. "The more and more trust you're building, you're earning an opportunity to do that. ... Somebody who is competing every day in practice ... he's getting his hands on balls."
- While there's still progress to make, Day likes where the team's run game is at. "We always want to have a combination of zone schemes and gap schemes up front, we're starting to get there. ... The balance we had, the energy we played with a couple of weeks ago is what we're looking for."
- On Quinshon Judkins: "He's learned the offense. There's certain things that's different than what he came from. ... Just getting started but you can see what he can do with the ball in his hands and the explosiveness, the power he has when he runs ... but you can see what a weapon he is for us when he's out there."
- On what his gameday watching experience was like: "The games start at noon and we all just needed to get our feet up and rest a little bit. ... You just watch, you watch the coaches, you watch the body types, you watch demeanor. ... It's healthy to do that."
- Ohio State's signal callers have been learning things quickly. "All of our quarterbacks pick things up quickly and that's important."
- Day said that Caleb Downs will only be seen at running back if it's an absolute emergency at this stage. "Right now we're focused on Caleb being the best safety in America. ... Our depth is going to be tested all year, so he'll be involved if need be, but for now he's focused on safety."
- On special teams: "I feel much more involved in it, much more in control of it than I was in the past. ... That's a phase that can be critical in some of those situations. We're gonna keep grinding on it. ... We're not where we need to be but we are showing good effort there."
- Day confirmed Donovan Jackson is set to play this week. "He's ready to roll."
- Day liked what he saw from Austin Siereveld in the first two games of the season."That's provided us some depth we didn't know we had entering the season."
- On what he's seen from Marshall: "They have a very good staff. Coach Huff is very well respected. ... He gets his guys to play hard. They're athletic, they have a big front on the defensive side. ... They're gonna come in here and they're gonna play open and free."
- On Howard's success on play-action pass: "It starts with the runs, when you're running the ball, now (the defense) has to be more aggressive. ... The work, the timing we've put in on some of those concepts ... then there's the RPOs. ... Just about every play, you want to put somebody in conflict. ... I think the timing has been good so far."
- On what he's seen from Jelani Thurman: "His ability to be coached ... he keeps playing the next play, he doesn't let the last play affect him. ... His attention to detail has been better. ... He's locked in, he's got questions, he's got answers. ... If he can keep building on that and keep growing, the sky is the limit for him."
- Deploying Siereveld as a sixth offensive lineman is not off the table, Day said.
- Day reiterated that Donovan Jackson could have played in an emergency and says most medical decisions are left up to doctors. "Donovan came back for a reason. He wants some hardware. He wants to play. It took everything we had to hold him back."
- Day puts himself in other coaches' shoes when watching games. "You try to use that as an opportunity to play that in your head. ... When you have an opportunity to watch a game, you're looking for those things."
- On what he liked from Marvin Harrison Jr. in Week 2 for the Arizona Cardinals: "He's gonna have a great career in the NFL. ... He's just such a pro, he's gonna translate very well in the league. Just the beginning."
- Day is in the group chat Nebraska coach Matt Rhule discussed. He said that it's mainly for everyone to be on the same page for coming rule changes.
- Day confirmed that Tegra Tshabola is the starting right guard moving forward. "He is the starter and he's played good football. ... We're gonna try to find ways to get Austin in the game because he's earned that."
- On the offensive line's improvements: "We all saw a bunch of guys who play hard. ... Trust your technique. The communication was better and I thought the effort was very, very good. But I also think there's a certain level of confidence."
Chip Kelly
- On the pros and cons of two-running back sets: "The pros are, if you have two really good ones, it puts a lot of problems on the defense. ... The cons are, you put two running backs in the game at the same time. ... If they're both going full speed six, seven plays in a row, now they both need a breather."
- On James Peoples: "I think James has done a really nice job in the first few games. ... We're excited about his growth and how he continues to pick up what we're doing."
- On the importance of a backup quarterback: "Obviously, you want to develop depth. ... But the other part of that is, Will hasn't been here for five years ... he needs as many reps as he can get. ... It's a different game for a quarterback when it's live. ... But you also need to develop your quarterbacks. I always say, 'You're one chin strap away from playing.'"
- On whether he feels better about the offensive line: "I think they made pretty good strides from game one to game two, especially from a communication standpoint."
- On what the improvement week focus was for Howard: "It was different for each player. ... Will there was some real technical things from a fundamentals standpoint. ... Some of it was just recognizing pre-snap indicators (for coverages). ... I think last week, he did improve."
- Judkins' size/physicality/athleticism combo is a rarity, Kelly said. "I had really just watched highlights of him in terms of what he did for Ole Miss. ... He's a tough, physical runner. ... He's got great feet and vision for someone his size. It's really surprising sometimes
- Gee Scott Jr., Jelani Thurman, Will Kacmarek and Bennett Christian have earned the confidence from coaches to all see the field at tight end, Kelly says. "The four of those guys have really earned it."
- On what Seth McLaughlin has brought to the offensive line. "Stability. He's been there, done that. ... He's seen a lot and he's played in some really, really big games. So I think the other players on the line look to him because they know he has that experience."
- On what stands out about TreVeyon Henderson: "Just his work ethic. He's a guy who's out there every single day and he's only one speed. He's a guy who you never have to talk to about effort. ... He's an explosive play waiting to happen. ... I love his physicality when he runs, I love what he's done in pass protection."
- While there are ways to dial up deep balls out of 13 and 14 personnel, Kelly said there are pros and cons to running those heavy sets Ohio State has deployed a few times. "The more surfaces you go, the tighter they are to the football, so it's harder to stretch the field."
Will Howard
- On the development of his wide receivers: "These guys really have bought into, if you make a block, that's a huge play for us. ... That stuff adds up, that stuff is important. ... They're doing some good things down the field and in the run game."
- Howard describes himself as a film junkie. "Sometimes I watch a little film in class. I like to watch film every day, no matter what it is. ... I love the game of football and I love the chess game that it is. I love how much strategy goes into it."
- On the iPads Ohio State uses on the sideline, newly allowed this year: "It's great. We used it in high school. ... I like going back over some plays, especially the ones that didn't go well, being like, 'What happened?' ... It's a really cool part of the game and I'm glad they made that a part of the college game."
- On Seth McLaughlin: "He brings a certain level of experience and just maturity. Having that guy at the center position is just crucial. ... He brings the juice up there. ... He's smart, he's making some calls before I even make them. ... That has been really, really big for this O-line and I think he's fit in really well with this group. ... He's become a really important part of this offense."
- Howard said he feels "settled in" at Ohio State. "I get the routine, I get the game week, what it looks like. It's cool. I've played in front of big crowds ... I wouldn't say it's nerve-wracking, I've been there. I don't get super nervous anymore. I just try to appreciate it. ... It's a blessing and I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and not let any moment pass me by."
- On how he's performed in the option game: "I feel pretty good about how I've done with my decisions in the run game and in the RPO game. ... It's being able to keep the rhythm of it. ... As long as I can keep us on schedule and not force things, make the right decisions with the football, with the guys that we have, take care of the football and let them do the rest."
- On the responsibility he feels to make sure his backups are ready: "The way I look at it is, it's a collective effort. No matter what, I'm going to look to those guys in the room to be ready and as prepared as possible. ... College football is so unpredictable. ... We have such a good quarterback room and guys that I like being around. ... Imposing as much knowledge as I can on the younger guys in the room. ... I want to help these guys as much as I can."
