Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media for about 10 minutes on Thursday as the Buckeyes make their final preparations for Saturday’s game against Cincinnati (12 p.m. on FOX).
Here’s a brief recap of what he had to say:
- Day said the backup running back position is “still in flux.” Added Master Teague ran hard but he hasn’t practiced much, while Demario McCall played well on special teams. Key is to continue to get them up to speed.
- Day said it can be hard to make in-game adjustments with a young quarterback. He anticipates that it’ll be easier as the season goes on.
- Day said Jaelen Gill is in the mix at H-Back. “The more he plays, the more experience he’ll get. And that’ll be good for him.”
- Day said C.J. Saunders’ undisclosed injury hampered the Buckeyes’ plans in special teams. That gives Gill a chance to break through, though.
- Day said he hopes to have a clean game from the offensive line, particularly in how they handle the changing defensive schemes and getting off the ball a little better.
- Day said he “couldn’t be prouder” of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who transferred from Ohio State following spring camp in 2018. Added he could talk about Burrow for hours. “What a special young man … The way he’s handled that has been awesome.”
- Day said Josh Proctor has stepped up at safety. He’s “inching closer” to playing at a starter level. The plan is to rotate him with Jordan Fuller throughout the game.
- “Overall, Thayer (Munford) is doing great,” Day said.
- Day said the offensive line is deeper than he thought it would be at this point in time. Adding Jonah Jackson and getting Munford and Branden Bowen back from injury helped, but others have stepped up, too. “A guy like Gavin Cupp has been huge for us.” He credited both offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson.
- When it comes to Ohio State’s 2018 recruiting class, Day said the group has been “solid” but that some of the players need to step up and play bigger roles this season.