Ryan Day Radio Show Updates, Buckeye Offense Back To Full Strength

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took part in his weekly radio show on Thursday. He talked about last week’s win at Wisconsin and looked ahead to this week’s trip to Rutgers. He also provided plenty of updates on his team, including the status of starting wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. The highlights of everything can be found below.

The first thing you have to do defensively is win the game up front and identify the way they’re trying to run the football on you. Then win the line of scrimmage, win the box, keep the ball in front of you, and eliminate the big plays.
Last week was a physical game. Taking care of your bodies is critical right now.
TreVeyon Henderson is a mismatch against linebackers in the passing game. Some of his best runs last week were the 5-yarders that kept the offense on schedule. He’s always going to be a threat to go the distance.
Chip Trayanum and Xavier Johnson have proven to be versatile. They can do multiple things. When you can do that, defenses have to play it straight, which can create advantages for the offense. The more versatility you have, the more defenses have to play you straight and can’t get into expectations.
Emeka Egbuka wants to play. He has had a good week of work, so they’re looking forward to getting him back out there.
There is still a preference to recruit players who play other sports in high school. It helps spatial awareness, athleticism, understanding how people move, intelligence, etc. Doesn’t matter what position you play.
Davison Igbinosun will be playing against his brother Desmond, who is a CB at Rutgers. They both have their jobs to do on Saturday but this will be a great moment for his family. Davison is one of the first guys in the building and last to leave. He earned his respect that way early on.
Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer were tremendous in the goal-line stand at the end of the second quarter. Tommy Eichenberg also won a battle of wills against Braelon Allen. That whole series provided some great clips of film.
Tyleik Williams’ best football is still ahead of him. He didn’t play much as a senior in high school. He didn’t really visit as a recruit. His first time in the stadium was as a player in the spring game in 2021. You’re seeing all of the work and the things available to him in this program that are impacting his performance.
Hero Kanu made a big play on second down. The defensive tackles were a little winded at that point, so Kanu went in and made a play. Great play by the redshirt freshman.
The depth is emerging on the defensive line. Kenyatta Jackson showed up in the Penn State game. Caden Curry and Mitchell Melton are seeing more reps and they’re producing.
Day’s “head almost exploded” when they got flagged for delay of game when the play clock didn’t reset to 40 seconds last week.
Why do so many WRs and DBs have mouthguards hanging off of their facemask rather than wear them? “I don’t have a good answer” for that. They all have mouth pieces they want the players to wear. Some players have two.
Sonny Styles is playing multiple positions. He’s very intelligent and can handle a lot of information. But at the same time, you don’t want to complicate him with too much information. You want him to be able to play fast.
Rutgers is well known for its special teams. The overall awareness this week needs to be high no matter the situation. But you still have to play fast and aggressively. Special teams is a third of the game. Have to execute well.
Rutgers is playing very well defensively when you look at the statistics. On offense, they have a good scheme. They do a great job in how they attack you. It’s complementary football. It’s just another challenge on the road in November in the Big Ten.
Marvin Harrison, Jr. continues to make plays. The Heisman is supposed to go to the most outstanding player, not the guy with the most stats, but he’s also putting up big numbers. Now it’s time for him to play his best ball. Harrison was working on the practice field this morning when Day was having breakfast. Harrison and Kyle McCord were working on things after practice last night as well.
The offense is back to full strength now with TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka back, which puts more burdens on the opposing defense.
Kyle McCord’s competitive nature is high. Not every game goes the way you want it to, but the fight is there to keep swinging. He’s a voice in the huddle on the sidelines. He doesn’t let a bad play lead to a bad day.
You get into coaching to impact on young people. Whether it’s in the community, the players, your coaches. If you don’t win enough at Ohio State, you’ll get fired, but it doesn’t change the purpose. Yes, you need to win, but it’s about making an impact on the people in the program.