Ryan Day Addresses Michigan Scandal, Previews Wisconsin

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters on Tuesday for his weekly media session. He was asked about the ongoing Michigan sign-stealing scandal, Saturday’s upcoming matchup at Wisconsin, the health of his football team, and much more. The highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

How much do you have to be aware of sign stealing? Anything regarding that whole deal, he’s not going to comment on today.
They’re going to keep pushing and evaluating at running back to see who needs to play. “We’ll see how the week goes.” They’re going to push him to see if he can get in the game.
The play Devin Brown was injured on was reviewed to see if it was a touchdown. They will
Carnell Tate is similar to where Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba were as true freshman. They were coming on as you hit the mid-year, like he is. They are confident putting him in the game.
Who is the No. 2 QB right now? They’ll see how the week of practice goes between Tristan Gebbia and Lincoln Kienholz. They will look to see if Kienholz can maybe continue the Devin Brown red-zone package in practice because he’s athletic.
Not really looking at a wildcat package right now going on the road.
The biggest issue with the running game? Wish he could point to one thing but it’s a combination of things throughout the game. Whether it’s blocking or the RB not hitting the hole correctly. “We’ve got to execute it better. We’ve got to coach it better.” They will work their tails off to get it fixed. “I think they’re fixable but we’ve got to get them fixed. That’s the bottom line.”
How do you keep the team at the same level after a big win? It’s competitive stamina. That’s what they always talk about. They discussed it before the season. They have to be road warriors this year. “We’ve got to bring it this week.” “We can’t let last week affect this week. Championship teams bring it every week.” The environment is going to be rocking. “We know that.”
Every week they try to figure out what they do best, then what fits for that week.
Is it reasonable to expect to see an improvement in the running game when it hasn’t show up yet? Yes, that’s a good question, but yes. They will get some guys back and that will help.
Putting audio technology in helmets has been discussed but he doesn’t know where that talk stands now.
Good, bad, or indifferent, you have to ignore the noise of what is happening outside. Be it Michigan talk, criticism, etc.
Expecting to have TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka back this week after good weeks of practice.
Luke Fickell built a great program at Cincinnati. His teams are always well-coached. He left a lot behind in his time in Columbus. They know Wisconsin will play hard. Nothing but respect for Fickell and his staff and that program.
How much difference can TreVeyon Henderson make in the running game? Hopefully a big impact. He can hit home runs, as you saw in the ND game. Hopefully he has a good week of practice and they can go put it on the field.
The losses at Iowa in 2017 and Purdue in 2018 are games he has learned from. You are always learning and recognizing possible areas of ambush. “That’s why we have to have a great week of practice.”
Carson Hinzman hasn’t played a bunch of football here but he is talented and has a bright future. Losing Luke Wypler forced him into action. There’s been some really good moments, but he’s building and growing. The goal is to have his best football be what happens here in the home stretch. Everything he saw this season from the multiple defensive fronts has been new for him, but now it’s getting more familiar. It’s not an easy job.
What causes inaccuracy with a quarterback? It starts with being consistent in practice and building confidence. Trusting your feet and trusting your eyes, then making the routine plays routinely. They’ve done that at times this season, and when they do, the offense gets rolling.
Would Day be in favor of technology in the helmet? “I do think we should definitely consider that because it would definitely help.”
Josh Simmons has gotten more and more consistent. He is finishing with pad level. He has some great, high-end play at times. He just needs to be more consistent. “The talent is definitely there.”
The Ohio State pass rush has made the Ohio State pass protection better. That’s one of the reasons they are able to hold up week to week as well as they do. Same with the Ohio State secondary because they’ve had success against OSU’s receivers.
Jermaine Mathews, Jr. is one of the more competitive guys they had in the freshman class. The moment wasn’t too big for him last week, but he needs to keep doing it.
Did you know Jordan Hancock could be this valuable? “Yeah, when we were recruiting him, we thought this was what he could be.” Very competitive, very instinctual, both inside and outside. He’s a very serious player who was very frustrated last year with his injury.
How do you evaluate the jobs the assistant coaches are doing during the season? Those are conversations that don’t have to wait until after the year. Are your players grading out as champions each week? Then great, keep doing what you’re doing. If they aren’t, then something is going wrong. Each guy is responsible for recruiting and developing the position, and ultimately for their performance on the field. Every week is an evaluation period.
Why does Marvin Harrison come off the field at times in short-yardage situations? They have long discussions on the best ways to score down there. “I feel like we’ve got to be able to make a yard or two when we get down in there.”
Does the ability to win with defense change how you call the plays? It’s ridiculous that they’re not getting into the end zone from the 2-yard line, but they’re still trying to score every time they touch the ball. But as it gets later into the game, it’s about making sure you win the game. You don’t want to put your team to risk by being foolish.
How do you game plan to target Marvin Harrison 16 times against Penn State? They’re trying to maximize his opportunities to win man-to-man situations, so if you leave him in one spot, that gives a defense an opportunity to key on him. The more efficient they can be in other areas, the less pressure that puts on Harrison.
When you see your backup QB get hurt in short-yardage situations, that’s another reason why you don’t necessarily want your starter doing it. There’s a risk/reward. They’ve lost Devin Brown for a week or two now.
Are you content with where Kyle McCord is right now? Coming off the field last week, they felt like there were some really good plays, but also some plays they missed. He’s in a much different place than he was early in the season. He has two top-10 wins under his belt right now, so that has to build confidence.
Special teams has blunders every week. How concerned are you about that and what’s your solution for that? The bottom line is those things can’t happen. They’ve had some strange plays, but they can cost you a game.
Do you ever throw stuff at the screen when you see one missed block on short-yardage? “Yes.” It makes you sick. Can’t eat solid food when you get stuffed at the goal line.
Great awareness by Carnell Tate in last week’s game. To not commit a penalty on Marvin Harrison’s touchdown. Then he handled the onside kick with no problem. The moment is not too big for him and they don’t take those moments for granted.
They’ve always seen the potential of what Josh Proctor can be and you’re starting to see that right now.