Ryan Day Post-Game Comments Following Victory Against Nebraska

Answers on a variety of topics after his Buckeyes pull away to win their season opener 52-17.

Head Coach Ryan Day met with the media for just over 10 minutes following the 52-17 triumph over Nebraska Saturday afternoon inside Ohio Stadium.

On the defensive line and getting Haskell Garrett on the field:

“It was good to get him out there. The depth is something we have been focused on and to have him there was a huge boost to the inside guys, with his experience and ability was great.”

On bridging scores around halftime:

“That’s one heck of a run right there. It’s the best way to end a half and start a half. I thought that flipped the game.”

On Chris Olave leaving early:

"He seemed good. He was in good spirits and had a good look in his eye. That's all I really know at this point so we'll see what happens tomorrow morning."

On the quiet environment of a relatively-empty stadium:

"It was a strange feeling. I can't sit here and say it wasn't different because it was. But it's the same for both teams, so we just have to handle it better than our opponent."

On Nebraska targeting penalties/ejections:

"I know Scott and those guys on the defensive staff. I know they would never teach that. There are certainly some tough spots in there and we certainly understand it from last year. When it's going fast and you're trying to make decisions on how to get a guy down, it's hard. I'd be shocked if there was any ill-intent there."

On expectations for Justin Fields moving forward:

"We will see... that's a good start, certainly. But it's everybody involved; the protection, routes, timing, spacing, execution. As we get into December there will be some tough weather. It's gonna get cold, rainy and windy. We will have to develop and establish the run game in those games. We are always looking for a balance, but he looked so comfortable back there today."

On newcomers with the offense:

“I’ll watch the film, but certainly Jaxon made that big play in the back of the end zone. We got Julian out there to get his feet wet and it was good to see Trey Sermon get some carries. It's the first time he ran the ball live in a long time. It’s hard when you don’t have the non-conference games to get those guys early reps.”

On the offensive line:

“We fit some good runs near the goal line but a couple others didn’t hit. We’ll take a look at the film but I thought they still played pretty well, knocking people off the ball.”

On culminating this opening week:

“I am proud of this coaching staff. I think the leadership of this team showed and it was a really good start.”

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