‘It Makes A Difference!’ Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day Speaks on Home Crowd-Fueled Defense

Beating the Penn State Nittany Lions didn’t come easy for coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes, but they pulled through, and according to Day, that had everything to do with being at home.

With the ball on their own 43-yard line, the Penn State Nittany Lions had everything in their control. 

They didn’t necessarily have everything under control, but it was in control. 

The Nittany Lions were down 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter during a game that featured two undefeated squads. One had a spot in the CFP already, and one was on the outside looking in. 

Penn State was the latter. But it failed to convert a fourth down and turned the ball over to the Ohio State Buckeyes — the former. 

The Buckeyes went on to pad their lead, marching the ball down the field and capping off a scoring drive with an 18-yard passing touchdown from Kyle McCord to Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Suddenly, Ohio State was comfortably in the lead and Ohio Stadium was “rocking.” 

“When ‘The Shoe’ is rocking like that, it’s a difference maker,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “I thought our players fed off of it. You could tangibly see it on the field.” 

The Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate on the field during their 20-12 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions.  / USA Today Sports

That was true. The Buckeyes used every ounce of their home-field advantage to remain undefeated and remain a contender for the National Championship. 

They knocked off Penn State 20-12 in front of their home crowd, though no moment was quite as loud as the ensuing Penn State drive. 

“When we got that sack on JT on fourth down, that was as loud as I’ve heard it in a long time,” Day said. 

Home-field advantage, as it’s known across college football, is an asset seldom taken for granted. Teams playing at home get a chance to build off positive energy and watch their performances instantly pay off through crowd reactions. 

For Day’s squad, it not only helped them prevail at the end of the game to secure a victory, but also establish early momentum on defense. 

The 11-man defensive front was as “tough” as their crowd. 

“[Our players] felt the toughness, the physicality on defense,” Day said. “We started out stopping the run and forcing them to throw the ball.

“There’s a lot of great people who did a lot great things on defense.” 

Safe to say, the Buckeyes’ defense held its own. Penn State went without a touchdown for — had it not been for the last-second desperation score — the entire game. Ohio State’s offense didn’t have the day it usually did, but that didn’t matter. 

They still got it done, and Day could not have been more pleased.  

“I’m happy for our guys,” Day said. “I’m happy for the success they’ve had. We came off of last season with a few scars, but you’re starting to see the confidence grow.” 

Heading into Wisconsin next week, Ohio State will want to keep its perfect record alive. Beating Penn State helped fuel its confidence to do so. 

But Ohio Stadium helped fuel its confidence to beat Penn State. And while the Buckeyes won’t be at home to face the Badgers, they’ll be taking their home crowd’s spirit with them.