Ohio State head coach Ryan Day spoke to members of the media on Thursday, Nov. 5, previewing the Buckeyes’ matchup with Rutgers.
What follows is a paraphrased rundown of what Day said:
Doing anything different because of the false positive?
- Not much, we kind of planned on something like this happening. We had to make sure we had enough people at each spot.
Master Teague and Trey Sermon?
- The way that he ran is really his style, downhill, powerful, keeps on schedule. And that helps you control a football game. He is a big back, downhill, his strength is playing downhill and being physical.
- Trey ran well too, and we’re just trying to get better every week.
Guys playing a lot of snaps/balancing minutes for younger players?
- It’s different this year because we didn’t have the lead-up to the season like normal.
- In any game, you’re going in trying to win the game.
Harry Miller?
- He has been able to get into a rhythm, and that really built up his strength and confidence.
Tight ends?
- Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert both played well in that game. They blocked well, they weren’t perfect, but they came off and had a physicality to him. We asked them to make plays in the pass game and do a lot. And their versatility was huge.
Timing between Chris Olave and Justin Fields?
- I saw two guys who were very hungry. I know the way the last season ended really bothered both of them. They spent a lot of time in the offseason developing that timing.
Brendon White?
- It was just one of those things where he felt like he needed a fresh start. Greg Schiano’s doing a good job of putting him in good spots, he’s done well at that free safety spot.
Poise from Justin Fields?
- The throw to Garrett was excellent. The hot throw to Jeremy was good. He stood in there, he wasn’t hopping around, he was strong in the pocket.
Justin Hilliard allowed on sideline but not allowed to play?
- He took the antigen test and followed that up with a PCR, and the PCR confirmed that it was negative. Not every school has the opportunity to get the PCR in time, so they wanted to make sure it was fair across the board. Obviously, not ideal but they are working on it to improve it.
Pros and cons of No. 1 WR?
- The pros are that he’s comfortable, and a negative would be if he is going to too often. We don’t really pick out who we are throwing to unless they are in straight man-to-man coverage and there is a weakness. Usually we read the zones through a progression.
Scholarship limit next year?
- As we projected out, we actually don’t think we will be over 85 next fall. I think we’re going to be at a good place. There is a little bit of unknown there because some guys might try to come back and others may not.
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