COLUMBUS – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media immediately following the Buckeyes’ fifth straight win over Penn State in a 33-24 victory on Saturday night.
Here are the highlights of what was said.
Ryan Day
+ He is proud of the team for working through a gritty game like this. They expected this type of game, it was frustrating and they will learn and grow from this but they kept swinging away across the board. “We didn’t panic, we kept swinging, and that’s what these games are going to take.”
+ The goal was to just win the game and go 2-0. “You don’t get style points in a game against Penn State.”
+ They kept working on the run game throughout. They didn’t give up on it.
+ The penalties were unacceptable. They really bother him.
+ “You can’t flinch in games like this.” Players will make mistakes but they have to move forward. They will learn from them in film but they have to work through them in the game. He is proud of that.
+ “Penn State had a really good plan coming in and you could tell they worked hard on that. We expected that. They were coming every snap.” Day added they have to handle that a little better.
+ On Jerron Cage, Day said he was carrying it like a loaf of bread. It was great to see. He is very proud of him, Cage has been through a lot. It was good to see the defense play the way they did. “The defense won this game.”
+ They never had their heads down and they kept swinging. Day said he relied a lot on the older players’ leadership. Chris Olave’s touchdown helped because for a while they were rigid. But they never doubted themselves. They knew this was a good defense.
+ “Awesome to learn from and still get the win.”
+ College football right now is about surviving and moving on. “That’s all we can worry about.” Across the board the ones who bring it every week are rewarded. “It’s a one game season. It’s march madness. You survive and you move on.”
+ Day thanks Buckeye Nation and the student section. The Scarlet-out was great. The players were really excited about that and the crowd was excellent. “That was a great atmosphere.”
+ If they finish the drives in the red zone the game would look a lot different. Against a good defense, he is proud they put up almost 500 yard of offense. But converting on third downs and scoring in the red zone could have given them more points.
C.J. Stroud
+ As a young kid from California who didn’t have a lot growing up and lost everything who kept fighting, he said this was a blessing. He thanks god and his family.
+ He took a lot of pictures with the fans on the field. He remembers how much it can impact someone’s life.
+ The offense kept fighting. Football is about fighting. At times Penn State was calling some of the plays. “It was crazy.” A lot of players would have given up “but we kept fighting.”
+ Penn State’s defense was amazing. These types of games and gritty wins are needed in Big Ten play because a lot of Big Ten teams are really good.
+ He wants that throw to Chris Olave in the end zone back but he knows he’s not going to get it back. He is proud of how they kept fighting.
+ If the run is there he will run the ball. But he won’t go do his own thing, “that’s how you lose games.”
+ Jerron Cage had a great play.
+ They are growing and getting more confident. Losing was a great learning lesson.
+ The brotherhood is real here, we heard everything, we heard all fo the noise, especially after the Tulsa game, but we stayed together.
+ They were struggling in the run game but that’s the game of football. They kept going and he felt he had to be a leader and tell players to calm down. “The Buckeyes beat the Buckeyes.”
Zach Harrison
+ On Jerron Cage, Harrison said he was shocked when he saw him pick it up and run. He ran down the sideline and gave him some love.
+ This is a team win. This was one of those games where the defense had to make a little more plays and they have been getting better every week preparing for this.
+ On Tyreke Smith, Harrison said Smith is a “special talent.”He is happy he got a chance to show off his abilities today. They just try to affect the game and have fun doing it.
+ “We’re building confidence every week.”
TreVeyon Henderson
+ On working hard for his yards, Henderson said it was tough. “That was a physical game but we stayed the course and we got it going.”
+ On the long run, he thanks his offensive line and the tight ends. He was happy to get it going.
+ Penn State’s defense was a great defense. But he needed the challenge to prove to himself that he is tough and capable.
Noah Ruggles
+ On the high-pressure kicks, Ruggles said he knew how important every score would be in this game.
+ On the last kick, Ruggles said he thought he hit it good and knew it was going in the second it hit his foot. The wind got it as it was going through but he knew it was a good kick.
+ On being Mr. Perfect, Ruggles said he takes each week and his preparation seriously and that’s what shows up on the field.
Cameron Brown
+ On his interception, Brown said it took a lot of film study. He saw that exact play when he was watching film Saturday morning so he knew it was coming.
+ Jerron Cage’s play was a game-changer for them.
+ They always try to play their best. The offense has their back, they have their back.
Ronnie Hickman
+ On this being a championship-caliber defense, Hickman said it absolutely is. They have the potential they just have to show it on Saturday’s.
+ On Jerron Cage, Hickman said whenever they can steal points, they want to do that. They talk before games about who it’s going to be, who is going to score. Nobody guessed Jerron Cage today.
+ The game isn’t going to be perfect each week but the offense has the defense’s back and they have theirs. He is glad they were able to pick the offense up.
[Photo via Ohio State Football Twitter]
