Ohio State Buckeyes, Ryan Day 'Confident' Ahead of Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl Matchup

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day spoke about his team's matchup with the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, a quarterfinal game in the College Football Playoff. Day said that his team is confident after the win over the Tennessee Volunteers heading into a rematch with Oregon.

Dec 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talks on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via the USA Today Network

With a dominant win over the Tennessee Volunteers, the Ohio State Buckeyes and coach Ryan Day punched their ticket to the Rose Bowl game for a rematch against the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

In the build-up to the Rose Bowl, both coaches held a virtual media session. Day spoke to the confidence level of his team after the first-round win, and he also complimented the athletic abilities of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Here's everything that Day said about the matchup and preparing for Oregon.

Dec 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talks on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via the USA Today Network

Opening statement:

"Our team's very very excited about this opportunity to play in the r Rose Bowl a tradition of the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten obviously is well documented, and we understand that. Will actually be my third time being at the Rose Bowl, and every time we go, it's it's a great experience. Certainly have a great opponent in Oregon, a lot of respect for them, looking forward to the rematch, and looking forward to a great week of preparation. You know, I think when you think about some of the greatest venues, there is in college football, certainly Pasadena and the Rose Bowl is right at the top the list. Certainly excited to get out there and be part of this great tradition once more."

On Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard:

"Our challenge to Will [Howard] going into the last game was that he had to be the best leader on the field. I thought he was. I thought he played well, got into a rhythm early on. But I think for Will, understanding exactly how we're trying to attack defenses is a critical part of being successful. When the play caller and the quarterback are on the same page, like you said, the minute they hear the formation they can finish it. That means he's got a great grasp on what we're trying to get done. So, it'll be important to put together another good game plan, and then executing it on the field. I think that's what it comes down to. Will, I know, is excited to have an opportunity to play Oregon again."

On offensive coordinator's Chip Kelly's evolution at Ohio State:

"I think that he's now, you know, a full season in. He's got an understanding of who we are personnel wise. Now in the Big Ten, what that looks like. So yea to your point, it has evolved. He's got a great understanding of the entire, game of football, offensive football, whether it's wide open and spread and tempo or getting with multiple tight ends in the game, huddling different styles of play. He's always said, and we've always said, that the number one job of the quarter of the coordinator is to put the offense in the best position to be successful. And so that has to do with our personnel. It has to do with what we're seeing on defense, and now I feel like we had a good balance this past game. We'll look to do that as we put the game plan together for for these guys."

On the rematch/revenge against Oregon:

"It's about execution. It's about our preparation. It's about how we go about our meetings, how we go about our walkthroughs, how we go about our practices, so that when we get out to Pasadena, we're executing at a high level. That's what it comes down to is that. Not super exciting, I guess not, but that's that's what it is. Our guys have played this team before, so there's a there's a reference point. I think both teams are in different places than they were when we played last time. I think we're different, but the players are the same and there's a lot to grab onto when you're watching film of someone you've already played against."

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) attempts to grab the ball against Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) in the second half at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Sometimes when you are playing against a team, maybe from another conference in the playoffs, there's a little bit of an unknown. You know, how how can you expect this guy to play? What am I really looking at when I look at the teams that they're playing? This team's not that way because we played them already, and they played in the conference. So there's, again, a reference point as we move into this one. Our guys know we're up against, but they also know that they've evolved and we've evolved. So two very different teams heading into this game and the team who plays is the best going to win."

On the confidence of his team:

You could feel the confidence in the locker room. You could feel the confidence yesterday as we had our team mean team meetings, identify the champions, watched the film from the game. Showed clips of the game with the team, and then we broke up into position meetings and watched the film. Have to make some some adjustments like we always do. The issues are always there, but there was just an overall balance and confidence about the group coming off the game. To know that we already have a playoff win under a belt give us confidence going into the game and also knowing our opponent, I think also gives us confidence. So all of those things, it led to a great day yesterday. There's a lot of pep and everybody's step, and looking forward to a great great week preparation.

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On stopping the Ducks' passing attack:

"They do a great job on offense throwing the ball, running the ball. They have a good balance. [Dillon] Gabriel's very, very talented, and very accurate in what he does. He's also very athletic, and they have weapons on the outside. So it's a challenge, you know, we've seen that live and in color. So, we've made adjustments coming off of that game and we've worked hard to make sure that we're putting our guys in the best position to be successful. We'll do that again against these against this week and, go compete our tails off. Our defense is playing with great confidence right now. You can feel that on the field on Saturday. After the game that we played with these guys last time, you can see every week has gotten stronger and stronger. . . . We're going to go put it on the field, I know we got a great challenge ahead, but our guys are ready for it."

On watching the film from the previous matchup with Oregon:

"It's not like we played them just a couple of weeks ago. That was midseason, and there's been a lot of football played since then. So, like I said, I feel like, we've evolved. They've evolved. Different teams, so there there are certainly things that you want to look at that happened in that game. But also as time's moved on, how they've changed, how we've changed, and then how does that fit, as we put together the game plan? But ultimately, we want to make sure that we're putting together a great game plan for our guys can play fast. They understand what we're trying to get done in terms of attacking all three phases, and then they can play with emotion and physicality."

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day yells for a penalty against Oregon Ducks in the second half during the NCAA football game at Autzen Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On facing the same team twice:

"There's what we call overage too, specially on offense, of things that we have coming out of a game that we didn't call. So you always want to reference those and see your notes and see things that we've already practiced this season that maybe we didn't use in that game. That plays into it, but then also things that we've done in the second half of the season that we feel like our players are comfortable with. And then what fits their scheme as they've evolved this season on defense. They're not just playing the same things that they've been playing all year. You know, they've changed. . . ."

"So you combine all those things together, you put the game plan in and and then you throw some things out, you add some things that you think might fit. At the end of the day, you only got a pack what you need, and you got to make sure that it's clean and it's a plan that the guys are going to go execute with a lot of confidence."

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