INDIANAPOLIS, IN- Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media following the Buckeyes’ 34-21 win against Wisconsin and Big Ten Championship win.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Fields and junior defensive end Chase Young also took the stage to answer questions from reporters.
Here’s a summary of what was said.
Ryan Day
+ “What a gritty win. We knew it was going to be like this. To beat a well-coached Wisconsin team twice in one year is not easy to do.”
+ “The past few wins have been emotional wins. To go down the way we did and come back in the second half showed our teams’ heart. This was the best win of the year.”
+ He was nervous at halftime but they had a group of guys in the locker room who were barking at each other. They were going to find out what they were made of. They weren’t leaving with a loss.
+ There’s a lot of stories to be told tonight. His story isn’t one of them. But when people are given opportunities in life and there are high expectations, he just had to go and put his trust in the team.
+ This coaching staff is the best coaching staff in America. These leaders and players are the best in the country.
+ He can’t relax right now. They have goals ahead.
+ Justin Fields didn’t practice as much as he wanted to this week. He was a bit rusty and there were pass protection issues. “When you’re a 19 year old sophomore who hasn’t played a ton of football you need practice. The way he played today without a ton of practice is incredible.”
+ “There’s something special about these guys.”
+ “Looking at the resume of what that’ve done and the last three game stretch. Top 15 teams they’ve played three weeks in a row. Today showed what this team is made of.”
+ “If there’s a better team out there I’d like to see them”
+ On the fake punt, Day said they needed a spark at that moment. They practiced it during the week and knew Drue Chrisman throws a pretty good ball. That gave them some juice in the first half.
+ On J.K. Dobbins’ performance, Day said that was three weeks in a row he has run hard. That was a good defense and they knew they weren’t going to run Justin Fields in this game. They knew it was going to be hard. Proud of the way they responded.
+ He told the team to enjoy this right now. They finished the race. Tomorrow they will come up for air and figure it out. But they need to enjoy it. It was a long run. They need to take a breath because that took everything they had.
+ It’s real now. They’re two games away from a National Championship. They deserve it.
+ Felt great for everybody to lift that trophy. They’ve been through a lot together and he’s proud of them. There were so many expectations and he is proud of their ability to stay locked in and stay focused on the task at hand.
Justin Fields
+ Just looking at the guys on this team, in my heart, I think we should be No. 1. I hope we are.
+ “This victory is a once in a lifetime victory.”
+ He struggled in the first half but knew he was better than how he was playing. He got his confidence back and got in a rhythm.
+ “The team knew we had it in us. I’m glad the world got to see what this team was made of. I’m glad it happened.”
Chase Young
+ They had to go back in and refocus at halftime. Tackle and do their assignments. Day told them to keep swinging. They kept swinging, swinging, and swinging.
+ Halftime he went back in the locker room and said there’s no need for yelling because it was simple things they weren’t doing. They didn’t give up any points in the second half and they made those simple changes.
+ “I think we should be No. 1. Point blank period. To see us come back and dominate off of two corrections. A team who can flip the switch like that is a No. 1 worthy team.”
+ When Wisconsin missed the field goal in third quarter the momentum shift and the offense took that momentum and ran with it. It continued through the test of the game.
+ “It’s good for people to see when we are tested and how we handle adversity.”
+ On keeping his momentum going after missing a few games, Young said he never got discouraged and everyone had his back. He had the confidence to continue. He can’t thank his family, teammates, and coaches enough.
+ “We played buckeye defense in the second half. In the first half, we weren’t ourselves.”
+ “When Drue Chrisman threw the fake punt everybody was confused. It was a pretty pass. It got us excited and that continued their momentum on offense.”
The fake punt was a ballsy call. Glad it worked out. Day also surprised me when he called that end around to Olave. He’s got three weeks to get ready for Clemson. I like our chances.