Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Ducks Will Force Bucks to Defend "Sideline-to-Sideline," Will Howard Feels Ohio State Has the "Best O-Line in the Country"

Day and his Buckeyes face by far their tallest task of the year to date in trying to go on the road and beat No. 3 Oregon. The Ducks, off to a 5-0 start, might be Ohio State's top competition for a Big Ten title.

Ohio State's head coach sees a "productive" quarterback in Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, threats at every level of the Ducks' defense and an offense that will force the Buckeyes to defend "sideline-to-sideline." One challenge he doesn't foresee is the travel to the West Coast and timezone change, feeling that his squad will be able to maintain its internal Eastern time clock.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, a former Oregon coach, took to the lectern next and shared his thoughts on the program where he coordinated offense in 2007 and 2008. Among his top concerns was defensive end Jordan Burch, already with five sacks in 2024, saying the Buckeyes will need to know where he is "on every play."

Will Howard wrapped up Tuesday's press conference with his own thoughts on the Ducks and preparations for a raucous road environment. He's confident in the protection and run-blocking in front of him, going so far as to say Ohio State has the "best o-line in the country."

• On the efficiency of Ohio State's red zone offense: "I think we've made improvements in that area ... but it's going to be important this week."
• Day doesn't think it's a huge deal to fly across the country and play a game. "I think it's a 4-and-a-half-hour flight ... we're gonna stay on East Coast time."
• On the luxury of having a great group of corners: "Those guys are a big part of the defense. ... They have a big challenge this week and good to see Davison (Igbinosun) get his hands on one this week, that was big."
• On Igbinosun: "When you get that pick like that, it allows you to relax a little bit and not press."
• On what he sees from Oregon's defensive front: "(Jordan) Burch is very, very good, he's athletic, he's strong. ... They have some good guys up front, so it's going to be a challenge for our offensive line."
• Day said that the offensive line has made strides, but he isn't satisfied. "It's good improvement but it's nowhere near where we need to be. ... It's week to week. You can look great one week and not great the next week. ... We've got to make sure that we're getting better every day because you're either getting better or you're getting worse."
• On what tells him if Howard is ready for such a massive matchup: "He came here to play in games like this. ... He's excited. His preparation is going to be the same, we always say, 'It's about us.' ... There's a reason you come to Ohio State and he came for games like this."
• On Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel: "I think he's a very good player ... gets the ball out of his hands quickly, he's productive."
• Day said Tegra Tshabola earned the full-time right guard spot against Iowa. "If he continues to improve and continues to do what he's doing, it'll look the same."
• On Howard: "The ability to use your legs is really, really important, because that becomes the X-factor. And he's really good at that. ... Then the other things, the size, the intelligence, his accuracy with the ball."
• Day said Kelly and running backs coach Carlos Locklyn have "good information" as former Oregon coaches, but it will ultimately come down to who plays the best on the field.
• On the importance of special teams: "Every play is going to matter in a game like this. Both (Oregon) returners are dynamic."
• On his relationship with Kelly: "Probably the biggest influence in my life and football. ... He helped me get some of the jobs that I got along the way. ... It gave me my start, then I worked with him in the NFL for two years."
• On what makes Oregon's passing offense dangerous: "They get the ball out quick and Gabriel is very accurate ... they make you defend the field from sideline to sideline."
• Day said Kelly's offenses in 2007 and 2008 "revolutionized" college football.
• Reflecting on Ohio State's loss to Oregon in 2021, Day felt the team's failures on defense, running the ball and converting third- and fourth-downs cost it the contest. "That's how you lose games. So we've gotta do a better job running the ball and playing defense."
• On how the defense has changed since that game: "I would say it's very different, different scheme, different players."
• Performing in the pass against the blitz is a team effort, not just on the quarterback, Day said. "It's not easy, but it's as simple as having good protection, spacing it out and getting it out on time against zone and winning against man to man."
• On Tyleik Williams' return against Iowa: "Solid, solid. I thought he was getting his hands on people and knocking people back."
• Oregon coach Dan Lanning was Georgia's defensive coordinator from 2019 through 2021, but Oregon's defense is not a copy of the scheme Ohio State saw in the Peach Bowl in 2022, Day said. "I think there's a lot of differences there. I know you watch it and you say it's the same tree, but there's differences there. ... But there's certainly things in common."

Chip Kelly

• On his favorite memories from Oregon: "It's a special place, and I think it's a great opportunity for our players. ... Autzen Stadium at that time of day is special. ... Aside from family and some coaches that I'll see briefly, it's about the game."
• Kelly complimented the Ducks' defense top to bottom, from its defensive line to its linebackers to its secondary.
• On the team's red zone success: "I think our players are just executing. ... This group practices really, really well. What we've done in practice ... they've gone out and executed at a really high level."
• On his relationship with Day: "We've been around each other so long, we share a lot of the same views on how the game is supposed to look. ... We shared experience. Sometimes we'll talk about a route that we might have run in the NFL. ... We see the game similar and I think that makes it so much easier."
• On what it's been like to coach under Day: "It's been great. It's about what we care about, it's about football."
• On Burch: "He's a really athletic guy and he had a huge game against Michigan State. ... You gotta know where he is on every play, because he's a guy that can disrupt a football game."
• Quinshon Judkins has a physicality that he didn't fully realize in practice due to the rarity of tackling in practice. "When you see him in games ... his physicality when he has the ball in his hands can separate him from some other backs."
• On his decision to go empty QB run on 4th-and-2: "We couldn't stay on track in terms of the path that we wanted to start the quarterback on, and we just ran into a little bit of knockback."
• "You couldn't help but learn from those guys. ... It was just a really, really cool experience for me to spend some time in the system before I became a head coach. ... But show me a coach with a good record and I'll show you good players."
• On how his time in Eugene compares to his time in Columbus: "I don't think of that. .... I don't compare my experience at one school to my experience at another school. ... This game has given me more than I could ever ask for. ... Both places are really special."
• On if he's excited to go back to Oregon: "I am. I loved my time there and I met so many great people."
• Howard and other current quarterbacks benefitted from their COVID-19 waiver and the extra seasoning that came with it. "Experience, you can't make that up. You have to earn that over time."
• On what Day's demeanor was entering his first big game as Kelly's quarterback at New Hampshire: "The same way he is now. ... Any advantage he could get in his preparation, he took advantage of. ... He's such an intrinsically motivated person."
• On what to expect from a Lanning defense: "There's movement involved in the front. ... They can blitz you inside, they can blitz you outside. ... They do a good job mixing some coverages with some front."

Will Howard

• On his comfort running the RPO: "It's definitely something I've had to build on. ... I've just seen more and more pictures and doing it more helps. ... We practiced it a ton this offseason with Coach Kelly."
• Howard said the opportunity to play in huge games "absolutely" was part of his decision to come to Ohio State. "This is what I was looking forward to. ... This is what you dream about as a kid. Being on this stage, playing in front of a ton of people."
• On what he's doing to gear up for a road test: "For me, it's just preparing how I always do and maybe trying to heighten, 'How do I do better with my preparation this week?' ... Being poised, being confident, you just want to stay neutral, stay level-headed."
• On the QB run game: "We've definitely ramped it up as we've gone. I think the designed quarterback run stuff is going to be an emphasis going forward. ... We're going to take every advantage we can get and the quarterback run stuff has been good."
• On Oregon's defense: "They have a solid front. ... They've got some dudes. ... The thing about them is, they're so multiple, they can do a lot of different things. They've got a lot of great players. ... I think there's some things that we can do that will present issues for them."
• Howard said he's gotten better against pressure with experience. "My ability to stand in there and make throws when I have guys in my face has gotten better. ... I've been in a lot of situations where I've had to stand in there, take a hit, make a throw. ... I think we've got the best O-line in the country and they're playing at a really high level right now. ... For me, it's just staying calm under pressure, keeping my feet on the ground."
• Howard's favorite of his three touchdown passes to Egbuka was his toss on the wheel route for the receiver's second score, which he called a "tight-window" throw. "He reminded some people of how good he is."
• On Egbuka: "His versatility is what makes him so good. ... He goes out and blocks. ... He can do so much. He can line up in the backfield. ... His versatility presents challenges for a defense."