Ryan Day answered several questions on The Ryan Day Radio Show this week. Most of his answers had a similar theme: He wants the Buckeyes to play with anger against Nebraska.
"That's the way the game is supposed to be played," Day said. "That's the way it should be."
Ohio State will welcome Nebraska into the Horseshoe on Saturday at noon. For the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten showdown with the Cornhuskers, Day said players like Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, Zen Michalski and more will need to be at their best.
Following Day's appearance on the broadcast, Block O recipient and captain Cody Simon sat down with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey.
Here is a bullet-point recap of The Ryan Day Radio Show:
Ryan Day
On Ohio State's practice schedule this week
- Day said Ohio State's players returned to campus on Sunday and practiced. The Buckeyes had a "normal Tuesday, Wednesday this week."
- Day said Sundays involve individual work, corrections for the game before, special teams, introducing the next opponent and then working two-minute drill.
- Day said Ohio State's younger players usually get more of their reps at the end of practice.
On Nebraska's 56-7 loss to Indiana
- "I don't think that was a great indication of what team is gonna be in here on Saturday."
- Day said Nebraska is a good football team that had played good football before the Indiana game. He said Ohio State expects a much better version of the Cornhuskers to take the field at Ohio Stadium this weekend.
- "They're gonna play really, really hard."
On Will Howard
- "He did some really good things in the Oregon game." Still, Day added, "When you come up short like that, it's a failure."
- Day said Howard must continue to perform well in Ohio State's matchups games. "We're gonna find ourselves in more of those games in the second half of the season."
- Day said Howard's running ability has added a new layer to Ohio State's offense this season. "You can see how it makes an impact." It's also led to the Buckeyes' success in the red zone. "That's a big part of it."
On Sonny Styles
- "Playing faster, playing quicker."
- "He puts the work in."
- "He's showing up and being aggressive at the point of attack."
On Zen Michalski
- "I thought Zen fought pretty hard in the (Oregon) game."
- "He'll be challenged in this game."
- "He's earning the respect of his teammates every day in practice. He's done that before."
- Day said the illness that went on inside the offensive line room during the preseason "really helped our depth" and has helped Michalski prepare himself for this opportunity. "Looking forward to seeing him play."
On Ohio State's offensive line
- "Donovan, Seth, Josh all have a bunch of experience in there."
- "Tegra is getting more and more experience. Zen has experience, not as much in games, but he has been in the program for four years."
- "Good to have guys that have been around the program for a while in there."
On Emeka Egbuka
- "It's great to be around somebody who is just a man. He comes out every day, and he works. It's almost like having a coach on the field."
- Day said McLaughlin is also like a coach on the field. "When they come out on the field, you feel their presence. It's very serious when they get out there. They want to get it right."
- Day said Egbuka and McLaughlin's preparedness provides a great example for Ohio State's younger players. "You learn from guys who have wisdom. ... It's foolish if you don't sit down and listen to those guys."
- Day said Egbuka "has been the answer" to a lot of Ohio State's problems over the years. "He can do it all."
On Ohio State's practices the past week and a half
- "It was a good week of work for everybody."
- "We were working hard. We were edgy. It was a physical practice week."
- "Now we need a good Thursday."
On Ohio State's mentality in practice this week
- Day said Ohio State needs to play the game angrily.
- "That's the way the game is supposed to be played."
- Day said the Buckeyes have had "a lot of people" playing angry in practice this week. "It should be that way."
On Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
- "Very, very good player who was once committed here."
- "He's had a very good season for them, doing a really good job."
- Day said the Cornhuskers are "very well coached." He added that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule puts together "a really good plan on how he wants to attack teams."
On Matt Rhule, coaching with him at Temple in 2006
- Day said he had a great experience coaching with Rhule at Temple in 2006. Day said their pre-existing relationship makes him want to beat Rhule all the more. "It was almost 20 years ago now, but yeah, of course. ... Everytime you go against somebody like that, you want to win."
- "He's a very good coach, has a good staff and has done a really good job wherever he's been."
On Gee Scott Jr., the tight end room
- "We need some guys to step up in that room."
- Day said playing tight end puts a lot of wear and tear on a person. "It's that combination we've talked about. It's blocking like an offensive lineman, running routes like a receiver and protecting like a running back."
- Day said Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman are "gonna have to step up" with Will Kacmarek out with an injury.
On Ohio State's emotions entering the Nebraska game
- "We're excited to get back home and get playing again."
- "We want to get ourselves on a roll here in the second half of the season. That starts against Nebraska on Saturday at noon."
- "Our guys are gonna be excited. I know our fans will be excited to get us back out there. I see them feeding off us in this game. We're gonna take the field, play fast, play with emotion. ... They're gonna see a team that's angry out there on Saturday."
On Larry Johnson rotating his defensive linemen
- "The idea is that you're fresh at the end of the season and end of the game."
- "Only the guys that deserve to play should get in the game should play, though."
- "I think Larry has always done that."
- "We've done some different things this week that should help, but the proof will be in the pudding on Saturday."
On Caleb Downs
- "He's become really, really active."
- "We'll try to find more and more ways to get him involved the entire game."
- "He's a very, very good player. He wants to make an impact on the game."
On Joe McGuire, Ohio State's punters
- Day said McGuire continues to perform well as Ohio State's punter and will continue as the Buckeyes' starter at the position. "We're gonna stick with Joe right now."
- "The other guys are working hard to challenge him."
- Day said Anthony Venneri and Nick McLarty will continue to compete with McGuire for the top spot. "But I feel like Joe right now deserves to be our punter."
Cody Simon
On receiving the Block O award
- "I will always remember that moment. It was such a special honor."
- "I was so thankful, so appreciative of my teammates."
- "I was just really honored."
On the role of a middle linebacker
- "I appreciate the coaches for trusting me with that responsibility."
- "It's like being the quarterback of the offense but on defense."
- "I try to take that role and run with it."
- "That's the battle of being a linebacker, trying to anticipate everything."
On James Laurinaitis
- "He's the best. He prepares us better than I've ever been prepared before."
- Simon said Laurinaitis' experience at Ohio State and in the NFL pays dividends for the linebacker room.
- "He's been really helpful to visualize and put yourself in the game before you're actually in the game."
