COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, defensive coaches Kerry Coombs and Matt Barnes, and a handful of players met with the media immediately following the Buckeyes’ win at Nebraska on Saturday.
Here are the highlights from the press conferences.
Ryan Day
+ On whether he is tired of winning like this, Day said no. “It’s great to see the players win like this.” He is proud of the defense and the special teams. “It’s hard to win in the Big Ten, it’s hard to win on the road.”
+ They were shooting themselves in the foot across the board. They’ll watch it and think they could have won by 3+ touchdowns or more if they cleaned things up, but they knew Nebraska was a good team.
+ We can do a better job with the runs.”We’ll go back and figure that out.” But when they blitz it opens up things in the pass game, they just got off schedule with penalties and other things. “We’re moving the ball, we’re doing a good job that way.”
+ Defense and stopping the run were huge.
+ He will take the 9-point win against this quality team on the road. “It’s going to be a grind, it’s going to be hard, there are going to be learning lessons along the way.”
+ On being concerned with C.J. Stroud’s decision making and Day’s play calling, Day said when you compete that’s how it goes. They both wish they had some plays back.
+ Garrett Wilson is day-to-day.
+ On why he called a pass on the last drive when the strip sack occurred, Day said they wanted to mix it up. He though they had the right coverage, but if they had the right protection, they could have had something. They just didn’t execute there.
+ On Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Day said “I thought he played well.” He was gritty in the third quarter when he cramping a bit. They moved some receivers around. “He worked through some things and was gritty out there.”
+ On Noah Ruggles being a weapon, Day said when you kick four field goals and get a 9-point win, it’s huge. “He’s become a weapon for us and it’s huge.” Day added “It’s a good feeling when you have someone you feel strong about there.” Field goals mattered in this game, it was good to make them. When he brought him in this past summer, he didn’t expect he would have to make multiple critical field goals in these games.
+ Dawand Jones was feeling ill before the game. He had a stomach thing. Nicholas Petit-Frere missed some practices this week. They were moving them around a lot in this game not by choice but by necessity.
+ They will be a their best football when the offense, defense, and special teams are all working together.
QB C.J. Stroud
+ Some things weren’t clicking in the run game. The turnovers were blatantly his fault, he forced them. They have to start finishing drives.
+ On Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Stroud said their scheme is “whoever is open, gets the ball.” His performance doesn’t surprise him. Smith-Njigba is amazing. “He’s the reason I’m here at Ohio State, he recruited me.”
+ Julian Fleming made a hell of a play.
+”You’re not going to be able to blow everybody out.” He wanted to play well but he thought they kept fighting and persevered. There are plays he wants back after every game. He thought it was a fun game, he wanted to do more and do better but he is happy they won at the end of the day. “It’s like March Madness.”
+ “Definitely going to enjoy the win, but we have to get better.”
+ “This is the type of win you need as a football team. It’s not always going to be pretty.”
DE Tyreke Smith
+ On getting held the whole game and it not being called, Smith said it was annoying not getting the calls especially when he felt like it was blatant. But he just kept in his mind to keep going, he couldn’t let it get to him. He said something to the ref once but just moved on.
+ They have relentlessness when they rush. Everybody has that in their minds and it’s showing up.
+ On the team relying on the defense, Smith said they came to play football for these types of moments. When it’s their time to get on the field, they have the mentality of getting a turnover or getting a three-and-out. The defense is gelling. “We can always get better but I think it’s showing, what we’re doing.”
K Noah Ruggles
+ On the feeling of, for the first time in school history, being a kicker with four made field goals in back to back games, Ruggles said he has the same mentality with every kick. But it’s good to be out there for those.
+ The reception in the locker room has been different. They have been hyping him up in the locker room lately.
+ He blocks out the fans and the stadium when he kicks.
+ On the last kick being into the wind, Ruggles said he was staring the flagpoles down all game figuring it out. He knew what the wind was doing so he switched it up a bit.
Coach Kerry Coombs
+ On seeing Tyreke Smith, Coombs said it’s exciting for him to be 100 percent healthy.
+ The defense doesn’t feel like the offense is relying on them. They know what the offense can do. They make each other better and they rely on each other.
+ Nebraska gives you a lot of looks offensively, they were tough to prepare for. On the big plays they were in man coverage and “they got two good ones on us, they really did. We have to play those two plays better moving forward.”
+ On Steele Chambers, Coombs said he was fantastic. He was a little rusty the first series because he sat out for so long but “he sees and he goes.” Chambers doesn’t hesitate, that’s one of the best things about him.
+ Marcus Williamson has played a valuable role. Bryson Shaw has been getting better each week. “That’s a special Buckeye victory there today.”
C Luke Wypler
+ On recovering the ball after the strip sack, Wypler said his first instinct was go to get it. He was using techniques he saw defensive players use on fumble drills in camp. He tried to use some technique to just slide and go pick it up.
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
+ On his game today and getting into a rhythm, Smith-Njigba said he didn’t expect this he just tried to make things happen when he was targeted. “It felt really good.”
+ He thanks God and his teammates. He cherishes every opportunity.
+ He was dealing with a bit of cramps out there, but it wasn’t overuse.
+ He tries to be there when they need him, he’s a small piece of the offense but he has great chemistry with Stroud. “It’s been working out.”
+ It hurt not having Garrett Wilson there, he loves playing with him.
+ It just happened to be him today.
Coach Matt Barnes
+ They are a work in progress, they try to get better each day. He was not surprised they played well in this game, they practiced well this week.
+ The two plays they got hit on were two bad calls, they didn’t put their players in the best position to succeed.