Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Praises Ohio State Defense After Dominant Outing Against No. 5 Indiana, Moves On to Michigan

Ryan Day had a lot to compliment Ohio State's defense on in his postgame press conference.

After collecting 53 yards on offense during its first drive, No. 5 Indiana gathered just 98 yards the rest of the game. The Hoosiers finished with a meager 151 yards total as the Buckeyes gathered five sacks.

Day was also complimentary of Caleb Downs after his 79-yard punt return touchdown and of Ohio State's overall effort on Saturday, but added that the Buckeyes' minds won't take long to turn to their next opponent. Rivalry week has arrived in Columbus, with Michigan coming to the Shoe next Saturday.

Cody Simon also met with the media before Day's time to discuss his 11-tackle, 2.5-sack performance. After both of them spoke, quarterback Will Howard

Ryan Day

On the root of Ohio State's "edge" this week. "There's probably a lot that goes into it, but that's the menatily you have to have in football. ... But we also knew what was at stake. ... I have to say, I thought the crowd was awesome. ... They went to a silent cadence and that made a huge difference."
Day said the team considered not playing Caleb Downs on punt return for injury concerns, but wanted to get him more involved. "We take everything into consideration. We made the decision a couple of weeks ago that we felt ... Caleb needs to be more involved, make more of an impact on games. ... As a punt returner, he's dynamic with the ball in his hands. ... A game-changing play (the punt return touchdown)."
On the decision to go for and score a touchdown in the final minute: "At the end of the game, we're in a four-minute drill. ... We're on the 1-yard line, just felt like we wanted to put an exclamation point on the win."
On the defense: "I thought the plan going in was excellent. ... I thought Jim (Knowles) had a great plan. ... This game is about players. And our players played hard today. Our defensive line won the line of scrimmage. ... Our guys in the secondary covered well. ... I thought the linebackers were timing up the blitzes really well."
Day said the team will take some time to celebrate the win, but Ohio State's players won't have a late night. "We know how important this week is."
On Will Howard: "Really just raised the spirit of everyone. ... He's the heart and soul of our team. But there's more to it than must Will. Look at the way TreVeyon (Henderson) ran ... Carson Hinzman stepping up and playing center, Austin Siereveld. ... But there are some things coming out of the game I'm not happy with. ... But the crowd, you could just feel it."

Cody Simon

On the slow start followed by a dominant outing for Ohio State's defense: "I just think we had to settle in a little bit. ... When we're able to pass rush, a lot of good things happen."
On the performance: "It all speaks to our preparation during the week. We knew this game was going to be big, we knew the crowd was going to be a factor."
Simon trusts Jim Knowles fully. "Whatever he puts in front of us, we're going to execute."
Simon gave a lot of credit to the defensive line for his performance. "For me to make plays, they make plays too. They're holding gaps out for me, and they do the dirty work."

Will Howard

On the crowd: "That was the loudest I've ever heard Ohio Stadium. ... It was turnt up."
Howard said he called Downs' punt return touchdown before it happened. "I go, '2 is taking it 74 yards to the crib right here, watch this. ... He might be one of the best football players I've ever been around, period."
Howard is fired up about playing Michigan, hungry to win it for Ryan Day and all the players on the roster who have suffered three straight losses. "I'm stoked. I'm fired up. This one is for those guys that came back, this one is for Buckeye Nation. ... I feel that hurt. ... You can say anything about records, this is always going to be close game. ... I want this for those guys so bad. ... Shutup the haters and be able to go out there and say, 'Man, this is the Ohio State Buckeyes.' ... This is the biggest game of our season and I'm looking forward to it."
On the offensive line without Seth McLaughlin: "All week I told them, 'I'm not worried.' ... I just hurt for Seth. ... I'm so proud of those guys for how they stepped up and I think they did a heck of a job today."
On whether Ohio State played a complete game: "The score really should have been about 10 points more. ... But I'm proud of this team. We put on a really good performance in all three phases. ... Offensively, I think we did what we had to do. ... We're picking up momentum at the right time."
Despite the dominant victory, Howard still thinks the Buckeyes are capable of more. "You haven't seen our best."
On his 3rd-and-35 followed by a 4th-and-10 conversion. "You just kind of have to make a play. Carnell did a great job on the scramble drill. ... That was huge. I think that really set the tone for the game and said, 'We're here to play.'"
On Henderson's slide at the 1-yard line followed by Ohio State punching it in: "I said, 'You're a better man than me, dude.' ... We wanted to put an exclamation point on that and remind them what the Buckeyes are about. ... That was not in any way disrepectful."

Ohio State players Emeka Egbuka, Caden Curry, Jack Sawyer and Caleb Downs also spoke with reporters following the game and you can see what they had to say in the videos below.