Ohio State’s Ryan Day Shares Final Thoughts On Indiana During Radio Show

“We’re going to keep pounding on this thing because we know how important it is to be physical and tough here in November.”

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made his weekly appearance on 97.1 The Fan on Thursday afternoon, then met with the media for approximately 15 minutes for a lighting round to preview Saturday’s game against Indiana.

The following is a bullet-point recap of everything Day had to say:

Ryan Day Radio Show

• Day said the players were eager to get back to practice this week following the lackluster win over Northwestern. He noted how they want to embrace that feeling in Week 10.
• Day said quarterback C.J. Stroud won’t necessarily slide when running the ball because the officials often call the play dead where the slide begins. He’ll instead try to dive down in a “soft spot.”
• Day said it sometimes takes a while for the run game to get going against a team focused on stopping it, but that you can wear them down in the fourth quarter if you keep at it.
• Day said you can’t think about style points or how the game is going to look throughout because that’s when you start to have issues. He added the game against the Wildcats was all about getting the win.
• Day said the weather in Evanston forced them to abandon their game plan, but that they also learned some lessons moving forward. “If we’re in that situation again and have to go play, we’ve got a book there.”
• On wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was named a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award on Thursday: “Emeka’s done a lot for us in a lot of areas, so (he's) well deserving of that award.” Noted his toughness and physicality.
• Day credits Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. for stepping up with Jaxon Smith-Njigba sidelined. “You don’t realize that they’re still sophomores. They’re so mature.”
• With running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams banged up, Day expects them to rely on Dallan Hayden and Chip Trayanum against Indiana. “It’s time to get those guys some reps and get them going.”
• Day said Williams is feeling much better this week, though he was still struggling a bit with the injury he suffered in the first quarter of the win at Penn State. He played all but two offensive snaps at Northwestern.
• Day said defensive tackle Taron Vincent was the defensive player of the game against the Wildcats. Noted he does a lot of selfless work that allows other players to star, such as defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who he said is playing with a lot of confidence right now.
• Day said there were a couple plays where Stroud was going to pitch the ball to the running back, but they chose not to do so because of the wind. “You have to play a little bit conservative in situations like that.”
• On the performance from long snapper Mason Arnold, who was making just his second career start at Northwestern, and punter Jesse Mirco. “Those guys operated pretty well.”
• On what he expects from the Hoosiers, who he said are coached well and play really hard: “You’re into Big Ten opponents here in November. You’ve got to bring it, and that’s no different this week.”
• Day said they want to continue to wear teams down after halftime, which they did after going to intermission tied at 7-all. “A sign of a good team is one that plays well in the second half, wins in the second half.”
• Day said it’s “no secret” that Stroud is a Heisman Trophy candidate and that there are a lot of expectations on his shoulders, but he liked his demeanor amid some struggles at Northwestern.
• Day said he didn’t watch any games once he got home on Saturday, partly because the wind made for a late takeoff, but also that he “didn’t have a great taste in my mouth going to bed that night.”
• Day said November is when they have to be playing their best football because that’s when all of their goals (beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and win the national championship) truly begin. “It really comes down to toughness and execution right now.”
• Day said toughness has been a staple for the program over the last year, and that was highlighted by doing mat drills outside in February. Said some players were doing it shirtless in freezing temperatures.
• Day said he’s looking forward to being back at home after playing just one home game in the last five weeks.
• Day said they have military members and veterans come out to practice on Wednesday to meet with the team, as well as some outside the locker room on game day. “The military is a huge part of Ohio State’s history.”
• Day said they have an open-door policy for former players, with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow among those stopping by today. “This is the player’s program – the current players, the past players and eventually the future players.”
• On linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, who he said epitomizes a Big Ten linebacker: “He’s playing at a high level and he’s the leader of our defense.” Noted it’s important for the next group of linebackers to be ready with him heading to the NFL sooner rather than later.
• Day said they’re always thinking about Michigan, but they can’t look past Indiana (or Maryland next week). “Our No. 1 goal is to be them. It’s always in the back of our mind, but we’ve got to make sure we take care of business Saturday.”

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Ryan Day Lightning Round

• Day reiterated that they’re going to try to play some depth this week at running back with Hayden and Trayanum practicing well as of late.
• Day said the wide receivers all have varying skill sets, and what stands out about Egbuka beyond his athleticism is his versatility, durability and strength. “Those are real weapons for an offense.”
• Day said Arnold and Mirco performed well in the inclement weather on Saturday and that they put in the work to do just that. “All it takes is one bad snap and you put yourself at risk.”
• Day said the offensive line is “a very prideful group” and that’s why they were the last group of the practice field on Wednesday night. “They’re doing everything they can to be playing their best football here in the next few weeks.”
• Day said Harrison has the mindset that he wants to be great. “His discipline, skill and work ethic” have set him apart from other wide receivers around the country. “He’s setting the standard for what it looks like to be a great player, to be elite.”
• Day said they’ve focused on pad level in practice this week. “We’re not looking to see who wins the drills, but who wins one-on-one matchups.” Said he liked what he saw this week. “We’re going to keep pounding on this thing because we know how important it is to be tough and physical here in November.”
• Day said players have to take ownership and accountability when something doesn’t go right on the field. “Football is all 11 guys operating as one. Everyone has to do their job.”
• On Mirco: “In the tighter games, he becomes more of a weapon for us.” Said gaining yards on a punt can make a tremendous difference in terms of winning the field position battle. “We’re going to need him again over the next month.”

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