A six-pack of Buckeyes met with the media following Ohio State’s latest Wednesday night practice.
Ohio State defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau participated in an interview session together while safety Caleb Downs, tight end Gee Scott Jr., center Seth McLaughlin and backup quarterback Devin Brown – fresh off of throwing a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith in spot duty against Michigan State – also held court with the media ahead of the Buckeyes’ fifth game of the season vs. Iowa.
Among the topics discussed, Sawyer and Tuimoloau spoke on the challenge that will come with defending Kaleb Johnson and Iowa’s run game on Saturday, Scott spoke about the team’s “common mission” and shared selflessness, Brown explained what that touchdown pass in East Lansing meant to him, McLaughlin talked about the difference between Iowa and the teams he’s used to playing in the SEC and Downs discussed how he had his best game so far as a Buckeye against the Spartans.
Quotes, notes and video from each player’s interview sessions can be found below.
TE Gee Scott Jr.
“I think we take pride in that. That’s something that we worked all offseason. That’s something that we worked on going back to spring ball and then a little bit of offseason, OTAs and then fall camp. We worked that. We take a lot of pride in blocking on the perimeter.”– Gee Scott Jr. on Ohio State’s perimeter blocking
- On how it feels to be “rewarded” with a touchdown against Michigan State: “Yeah, it’s great to be rewarded. But ultimately, I want to be a teammate that can help in any kind of way. I was just telling my teammates outside just now that sometimes the lead blocks that lead to a touchdown feel just as good as a touchdown. … It’s all about winning. We want to hoist a trophy at the end. That’s what it’s about.”
- On the selflessness of Ohio State's team: “We all have a common mission. We all just want to win. There’s a lot of unselfishness on our team. We all just want to win badly and we trust our coaches. We trust our coaches that they’re gonna put us in good positions to execute at the highest level. We have faith in that. No matter who’s scoring, where we’re scoring, who gets the touchdown – however it looks, we ultimately want to be successful as a team. … We’re proud to be winning.”
- Scott said the Buckeyes “want to be tough” and “want to be physical” week to week. He sees Iowa as a team that will challenge Ohio State in that regard. “This will be a good test to see where we are at this point in the season. These are the games we come here for, these physical matchups. We’ll see where we are on Saturday.”
DE JT Tuimoloau
“We can’t get in the mindset of ‘We need sacks. We need sacks. We need sacks.’ But just let them come. … The pressures are up, but to be truthful, we’re not even worried about pressure. We’re worried about trying to get off the rock as fast as we can.”– JT Tuimoloau on Ohio State’s pressure vs. sack totals
- On what stands out on film for Iowa: “Iowa is a very disciplined team. They know how to stay in the technique and not give anything away. They have a solid running back, a great running back. Up front, they’re older. They’re a veteran group. We know they’ve been in this game for a while and we know it’s gonna be a tough game, a hard game.”
- On if he relishes the challenge of playing a run-heavy team: “Yeah, we know Iowa’s not just gonna come in and just step down. We know they’re gonna bring their best. They have high expectations for themselves. We understand that they’re a 3-1 team. It was a tough game against Iowa State. We knew just watching the film that they played hard. It’s gonna be a hard four-quarter game. We’re gonna have to bring it.”
- On Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson: “He’s a big back. He’s also very patient. He can hit holes very quickly for his size. He doesn’t go down easily. We understand that we have to bring our boots and bring our hard hat and just be ready for a battle.”
- On his decision not to appear in EA Sports College Football 25: “There's a lot of things that went in it ... For me, I think I was just so focused on football ... It was a family decision.”
DE Jack Sawyer
“Yeah, we saw it. I mean, he’s a good player. We saw it, but we don’t pay too much attention to that. Obviously, he’s gonna feel some type of way, and he’s a great back and having a great season.”– Jack Sawyer on Kaleb Johnson’s comments about wanting to beat Ohio State
- When asked about Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara and whether or not Ohio State can draw from his performance against the Buckeyes as Michigan’s quarterback in 2021, Sawyer said, “He’s a different player now.” He added: “Obviously, he’s a lot more experience. You can look back and pick up a little bit from those previous games of when he was with ‘The Team Up North,’ but he’s also a different player now in a different system.”
- On his run defense being a strength in his game: “That’s big part of football, stoping the run. I think that’s a big part of football. Coach (Larry) Johnson is the best at teaching us how to (have) block destruction and getting off blocks and making tackles. So that’s what I try to do when I can.”
- On Johnson’s skill set and strengths: “He’s a big, physical back. He likes to get downhill quick. Good runner, tough, having a lot of success this year. I think he’s coming off an injury from last year, too. He’s having a good year. We’re excited to play him.”
QB Devin Brown
“I came over to the sideline when I sat down, and I was, like, shaking because I had so much adrenaline going. It was just a crazy moment.”– Devin Brown on throwing his touchdown pass against Michigan State
- Brown says his touchdown pass against Michigan State is his favorite moment of his Ohio State career so far because he didn’t know he was going to be going in until that moment yet he still made the play Ohio State needed him to make.
- Brown says he views every opportunity he gets to play as an opportunity to prove he’s ready to play when called upon. “Anytime you get in the game, I think it’s an audition for next year or even for this year because you never know what’s going to happen.”
- On throwing to Jeremiah Smith: “There’s a lot of confidence that goes in that. When in doubt, throw to No. 4, right?”
- Brown says he has a very close friendship with Will Howard. “We’re with each other from 8 in the morning until 8 at night every day. So we’ve built a really good bond and we’re there for each other no matter what.”
- Brown says he feels like he’s a “1,000%” different quarterback now than he was at this time last year. “My mental state has been different. My attitude towards the game has been different. Just my whole approach I feel like has been completely different.”
C Seth McLaughlin
“They play hard. They come off the ball. They strike you. And that's really what they're really good at, coming off the ball, putting two hands in you, and really forcing you to work on your technique.”– Seth McLaughlin on Iowa’s defensive tackle tandem
- On what makes Iowa’s defense good: “The players. I think it’s the culture that the coaches instill in them and the players play really tough. They’re all really strong and really athletic and they do their job most importantly.”
- McLaughlin said the Big Ten style of play is different from what he experienced at Alabama playing in the SEC. “Coming from the SEC, I didn't really know what it means to play a team like Iowa. I know they're always top-ranked in defense, and they're always great on special teams. So I've done my research and I understand what this game means. It's all about toughness, who's going to out-tough who, and who's going to run the ball, who's going to stop the run.”
- On Chip Kelly’s run-game schemes: “Coach Kelly's a wizard when it comes to stuff like that, because I like to think I've played with a few offensive coordinators, and I'd like to think I know a little bit about football. And some of the stuff that he comes in with. I'm like, holy crap, I never thought of that. I've never seen that.”
- On Emeka Egbuka pulling to pancake a linebacker: “That's awesome. When you get wide receivers pulling around in the box like that and just laying out a guy that's known to be a tough guy, (Cal Haladay), it's electric to see.”
S Caleb Downs
“I would say that's my most well-put-together game. I've made plays in other games too, but I would say that's the most well-put-together game I've played so far.”– Caleb Downs on his performance against Michigan State
- On what it means when defensive coordinator Jim Knowles says he was “activated” against the Spartans: “I feel like it's just the team that we played against gave me the opportunity to make plays and the Lord put me in positions to make plays to glorify him, so I would say the defense that he called was a good game and then made the plays when they came to me.”
- On if there’s been an adjustment period in a new defense in the first month of the season: “I would say everybody has an adjustment period when they change systems and everything. I would say maybe a little bit, but I wouldn't say much just because I was in it for the spring and the fall.”
- On what he looks for on film: “Tips on first down and second down in terms of what they do on second down after their first down play. Splits that can help me see plays between the tackle and the next receiver there or the tight end that's there. Quarterback progression in terms of where he goes pre-snap, what he looks at pre-snap, what signals he gives. Other things like that that can go into it to help you play faster and have more confidence for the game.”
- On what gives him his quick “trigger” on diagnosing and attacking plays: “I think a lot of it is instincts that is really God-given. I feel like he's blessed me to play the game at a high level. I feel like he's blessed a lot of people to play this game and be in a position to make plays. But I feel like it's also preparation and how you see the game and how much film you watch allows you to play faster when the time comes.”
