Ohio State is ready to send a message.
As the Buckeyes welcome Indiana to Ohio Stadium for their third top-five game of the season, Ryan Day wants his team to prove a point in the national spotlight on Saturday.
“We gotta make sure we’re sending a message. Make sure that these guys understand they are playing The Ohio State Buckeyes. And let’s make sure in about three hours, they remember Nov. 23, 2024,” Day said at Saturday’s pregame Skull Session.
Day was joined in speaking at Saturday’s pregame ceremony at St. John Arena by Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye – an Indiana alumnus – and left tackle Donovan Jackson. Frye made it clear that the Buckeyes found some bulletin board material this week and want to prove their doubters wrong against the undefeated Hoosiers.
“We wake these kids up in the morning, the staff wakes up, we saw a lot of guys with an edge; excuse my language, a lot of pissed-off guys,” Frye said. “We’re under attack. All of us. The Horseshoe’s not the same at a noon kickoff. The offense and the defense, they’re gonna bring the fight to us. They’re gonna attack us. I learned from my dad a long time ago that those who talk and run their mouths most of the time know nothing. And those that lock their jaw, shut their mouth and go to work are the ones you gotta fear the most.
“So you want to pick a fight? You want to come into Columbus in late November and pick a fight with the best damn fans in the land? No. You want to pick a fight with The Best Damn Band in the Land? Don’t get me started on these men, you ain‘t picking a fight with these men,” Frye said, referring to Ohio State’s players.
Jackson said the Buckeyes are going to play with “physicality and violence” against the Hoosiers.
“Physicality and violence. Those might be two words to you, but to us, it’s a motto,” Jackson said.
