Ohio State’s Ryan Day Addresses ‘Ugly’ Victory Over Notre Dame

The Buckeyes got their first win of the season Saturday night but it wasn’t pretty.

After a grueling Week 1 game against Notre Dame to start his season Saturday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day touched on the “ugly” day and what it means for his program. 

“That was something we spent a lot of time in the offseason saying, ‘We have to be able to win ugly on offense, we have to stop the run on defense,’” Day said. “They all count the same. And you have to figure out based on who you’re going against, how do you want to win that game? When you have that versatility, man, it’s going to pay off down the road.”

The No. 2 Buckeyes came out with a 21–10 win over the No. 5 Fighting Irish as they start a season where many expect them to be in the College Football Playoff thanks to their potent offense. Last season, Ohio State led the nation in scoring and yards per play. But the team lost one of its most dangerous weapons to start the weekend. 

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was sidelined due to a leg injury he suffered in the first quarter and the Buckeyes were only able to muster up seven points by halftime thanks to a 31-yard reception by Emeka Egbuka from CJ Stroud. Ohio State’s defense locked in, however, and Notre Dame never scored again after leading at halftime 10–7. 

After the game, Day said he’s hopeful Smith-Njigba will play in their next game Saturday against Arkansas St. at 12 p.m. ET. 

Ohio State HC Ryan Day says that he hopes Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be able to return next week pic.twitter.com/FqVN3fIzEp

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 4, 2022

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