With Ohio State off this weekend, head coach Ryan Day made a guest appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday morning. He was live from Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy Orange, where his son, R.J., was playing in the background.
Here’s a brief recap of what Day had to say:
- Day said Ohio State practiced three times in pads this week. “We went pretty hard in practice, good on good to keep our edge. And we had a lot of conversations about where we’re going here over the last four games. And making sure we finish this season the way we want to.”
- Day hopes the Buckeyes remain focused despite the break in the schedule and as the season winds down. “We want to have something to prove week-in and week-out. Part of being tough is playing tough, but also bringing it every week. We talked about that if the season went the way we wanted it to go, the season would get harder and tougher and tougher. If you win each game, the bullseye gets bigger and bigger. It’s the leaders’ job and the coaches’ job to make sure we do that week to week.”
- Day on running back J.K. Dobbins: “He came into the season the last two years kind of splitting time with Mike Weber and knew this year he needed to step up his game. He ran really hard and got challenged by the whole staff to turn four-yard runs into five-yard runs. He’s done that. Not really look for home runs and he’s done that. He has changed his body in the offseason. A lot of that has to do with the offensive line, has to do with Justin (Fields), has to do with receivers, but J.K. has turned into a leader, as well. He’s a guy who is in front of the team every week. He’s talking to them. He’s been playing with a chip on his shoulder all year.”
- Day on how he’d defend defensive end Chase Young: “He’s obviously the most dominant player in college football right now and there’s a lot that goes into that. There’s a lot of good players on the field on defense, the secondary is playing at a high level and the rest of the defensive line, as well. When he gets you in a one-on-one situation with a tackle on third down, it’s advantage Buckeyes. It makes it hard, and I think our defensive guys are doing a great job of moving him around, as well, so you can’t nail him down.”
Ohio State returns to action against Maryland on Nov. 9. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on FOX.
