Big Ten championships, College Football Playoff appearances and national titles are important at Ohio State. However, nothing is as important as The Game.
Players and coaches have their legacies defined by their record against Michigan. Nobody knows this more than the men who have roamed the sideline as the program’s head coach.
If anybody has ever questioned if Ryan Day understands the importance of the rivalry after losing three consecutive games to the rival, you can bury that line of thinking based on what he said in his interview with 10TV’s Game Time with Ryan Day on Monday.
Day is no stranger to tragedy, having lost his father to suicide when he was a child, yet he says suffering three straight losses to Michigan is one of the worst things that’s ever happened to him in his life. And he’s driven to make sure that doesn’t happen again when Ohio State plays Michigan on Saturday.
“We felt what it's like to not win this game, and it's bad. It's one of the worst things that's happened to me in my life, quite honestly,” Day said. “Other than losing my father and a few other things, like it's quite honestly, for my family, the worst thing that's happened. So we can never have that happen again ever. And that's been the approach all season.”
Day said that The Game is “not just a game – it’s our life,” and that another shot at beating Michigan has served as the chief motivator for his team all year long. And while he appreciates what players like Jack Sawyer and Will Howard said after Saturday’s game about wanting to win this week’s game for Day, he said he wants to win the game for them as well as Ohio State’s fans.
“We know what this game means. And certainly I know what this game means. And there's a lot of people counting on this game,” Day said. “This is our identity. It's who we are. We don't have anything else. So it's a big responsibility. And the last couple of years, when it doesn't get done, it just eats at your core. And so it just motivates you every single day to come back, to get this done, to stand on the field and sing the Carmen Ohio after winning this game.
“It's not about me ... it's about these seniors who decided to come back. They're the ones that are on the field. They're the true warriors that go put it on the line every game. And they came back for a reason: It's to win this game. And they've made that very clear. And so, you know, while we're all involved in it and I appreciate what they said, this is about these players.”
“We felt what it's like to not win this game, and it's bad. It's one of the worst things that's happened to me in my life, quite honestly ... So we can never have that happen again ever.”– Ryan Day on losing to Michigan
Ohio State is favored to beat Michigan by 20.5 points as of Tuesday morning, but Day doesn’t expect anything to come easily for his team on Saturday. He knows his team needs to be ready for a fight despite the Wolverines’ 6-5 record.
“Throw the records out. It's going to be a war and an absolute fistfight on the field. That's the way it's going to be, and that's the approach we're going to take,” Day said. “It doesn't really matter at all what the scores are leading up to this point. Nothing that's happened up until this point matters other than what we do in this game. And that'll be the focus.”
Saturday’s game will be emotional for the Buckeyes on multiple levels as it will also be the final home game for Ohio State’s senior class. But Day has told the Buckeyes to appreciate the moments along the way all season long because they can’t allow their emotions to get the best of them this weekend.
“I said it to these guys, you know, there's a last time for everything. And I said, even the first home game of the year, we're over at the golf course where we do our Friday night dinners, and I said, ‘You only have so many of these games.’ And I said, ‘Let's not be crying the last game of the season,’” Day said. “You have to recognize that these are not going to just continue forever. You're not just going to continue to get to play with this team forever. So enjoy it now and own the moment now, and by the time we get to that last game, we don't need to be shedding tears or anything like that. We've got a job to do in that game. We've got to keep our emotions in check and make sure that we're focused on the job.”
Day is also calling on Ohio State fans to provide another raucous environment inside Ohio Stadium, just as they did last weekend for the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana, to make the game as tough on the Wolverines as possible.
“I know that they're going to be unbelievable because they know what's at stake here and they know who we're playing against. They know who the enemy is,” Day said. “When they have the ball, we've got to be as loud as we possibly can. And between the players and the crowd, we've got to will our way to win this game ... they're in our stadium now and they got to feel that.”
