Ryan Day Updates: Ducks On Tap, Bucks On Alert

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters on Tuesday to preview this weekend’s matchup between the No. 2 Buckeyes and No. 3 Oregon Ducks. Day discussed the challenges that Oregon presents on both sides of the ball and also answered questions about his team overall. The highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

On the red zone offense effectiveness: The execution has been good and Will Howard’s ability to run and his accuracy down there has been key. It’s also the approach and scheme.
On the difficulties of long road trips: “I don’t really see it as much of a challenge that way.” It’s a couple hours longer than Nebraska in terms of flights. They will stay on Eastern time. Not gonna make it a bigger deal than it is.
On the cornerbacks being a luxury: “They’re gonna get challenged this week in a lot of different areas. Those guys are a big part of the defense.” It’s good to see IGB and Denzel Burke getting interceptions the last two weeks.
On Oregon’s defensive front: Very athletic. Very good. Jordan Burch is strong and good against the run and pass. Derrick Harmon they know from Michigan State. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.” There has been improvement on the OSU offensive line each week but they’re not where they need to be.
Will Howard came here to play in games like this. He has played in games like this. Dillon Gabriel is a very accurate thrower who gets the ball out quickly. The production speaks for itself.
Tegra Tshabola is probably the guy full-time now at right guard. He is getting better. They felt he gave OSU the best chance last week to win the game, which is why he played the vast majority of the snaps.
What does this kind of game mean for your team and the league? “I think it’s great because you get to control your own destiny.” They’re fighting for an opportunity to go to Indianapolis and the playoffs. There’s a lot at stake. “That’s the way we want it.”
Veteran QBs stick with their technique longer when things go awry up front. They can adjust on the fly easier as well.
On evaluating Will Howard in the transfer portal, was there anything that stood out in big games? His legs were a big part of those big games. That becomes the X factor in games like this. Then it goes from there in how they evaluated him. He has all of the other skills as well, but it started with his ability to run in big games.
Does having a veteran game change how you approach a game like this? You always try to address the things that fit the team you have, but there are a lot of things that are consistent with every game regardless of opponent. All games are big. “If we say ‘it’s about us’ all the time, then it is” even in games like this.
On having former Oregon coaches on staff in Chip Kelly and Carlos Locklyn: Yeah, they’ve provided good information “but ultimately it’s going to come down to the players that are on the field.”
How critical is special teams in this one? “Every play is gonna matter in a game like this. Both returners are dynamic.” “You never know when that one play is gonna come.”
When you trust your coaches you can get through a lot of wasted time. You can put your arm around each other after a tough conversation.
How has Chip Kelly impacted him: Probably his biggest influence in football. Day told him as a player that he wanted to be a coach. Kelly put in some good words for him with coaching staffs along the way.
Oregon gets the ball out quick. Gabriel is accurate. They have good playmakers in space, then will take some shots to stretch the field north and south.
How much did you watch Chip Kelly at Oregon? He was at Boston College, which was a different place and group of people. They had Matt Ryan at the time, so it was a different style of offense. But he certainly watched it all just like everybody else did.
Is this team battle tested now? This is a different test than last week but it was good to see the team respond in the second half like they did against Iowa.
How much do you look back at the 2021 Oregon game? That was CJ Stroud’s second start and he played his tail off, they just didn’t play defense well and they didn’t run the ball well. That’s how you lose games. “I knew we had something special coming out of that game with CJ. I could just see it.”
On Oregon generating pressure defensively and Will Howard’s ability to handle pressure this season: Everything gets ramped up this week. The protection has to be great, but so does the separation with the receivers. Howard is a part of that as well in that he has to get the ball out on time.
The ability to handle the environment is big this week. They are working on it hard this week.
Tyleik Williams was solid last week. Got his hands on some people and knocked them back. You can obviously feel his presence in there. “He can rush the passer as good as anybody on the inside.”
He and Chip Kelly talked about him coming to Oregon as an assistant but the timing wasn’t right.
Have you gotten what you thought you’d get out of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson? They are team players and they want to win as a team. They are both running really hard. It’s been fun to watch. They both want the ball. They need to take care of the ball this weekend and run downhill. They are both three-down backs that can protect and run routes.
Oregon’s passing game has athletes all over the place. The RB is very good. Oregon has the same thing that OSU is looking for on offense. You can’t narrow down one thing. They’re going to spread you out so you have to win your one-on-one battles.
Oregon has changed a lot from when Chip Kelly was there. Dan Lanning has his own style and scheme. There are differences and similarities to Georgia’s defense but you have to fit the scheme to what your players do well.
Do you like the two-minute timeout? It’s different because you have to manage it differently. You have to keep the guys moving with all of these TV timeouts.