Ryan Day Talks Buckeye Injuries, Refocusing On Task Ahead

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters for his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon. He answered questions about the Buckeye defense, fallout from the Oregon loss, and he looked ahead to this weekend’s game against Nebraska. The highlights of everything he had to say can be found below.

The biggest area of concern on defense? Coming out of the Oregon game, they lost the turnover battle because they didn’t create any turnovers. Then they gave up too many explosive plays. And lost the rushing battle. So that’s three areas right there.
Left tackle Josh Simmons is out for the season with a knee injury. Zen Michalski will be in there right now. He’s stepped up at Oregon and built some confidence.
Are you happy with the amount the pass rush is getting home? “I’m not happy with anything right now.” They need to get home better with the pass rush.
They see a veteran every day in practice from Zen Michalski. He knows what he’s doing. He’s prepared to play. “He was ready. Was it perfect? No.” He’s got good guys next to him that can help communication. When you go against OSU’s DEs, you should be able to handle anything that comes your way.
Asked about the rumor of Lathan Ransom being injured last week in practice: “No other updates on injuries right now.”
“I think we have the right people in the right spots. Then it comes down to scheme.” They can do a better job of putting defenders in better spots to succeed. “I think it’s a combination of scheme and better coaching.”
They identified what didn’t work defensively against Oregon. They have made some adjustments. Once all that settles, you realize that there is still a lot of football ahead of them. A lot of teams have taken a loss this season. You learn from the loss but you can’t dwell on it.
He has been more involved with the defense more in the last week than he’s been in the past.
What did you like about Dylan Raiola and can you remove the emotion about decommitments? Heard a stat the other day that 14 of the starting QBs in the Big Ten are transfers. You just have to adapt to it. You try to maintain as many guys as possible. As for Raiola, he’s already playing at a high level and has a great family.
Quinshon Judkins’ minor injury didn’t impact him against Oregon. He’s feeling fine now.
Was there any conversation about giving Denzel Burke a series off against Oregon? There was a conversation but you always make a decision on what helps you win the game in the moment. He had a good week of practice last week. He’ll rebound and play well this week. “We probably have more depth at corner than we do at safety.”
Our Jim Knowles and Larry Johnson on the same page on creating pressure? “Yeah, for sure.” The goal is to put the best four or five rushers on the field. “I’ve watched closely and I think they’re on the same page.” They’ve looked at everything. Nobody feels good right now. Everybody is on edge and you should be after a loss. There can be conversations within the room, but once you leave the room everybody is on the same page. You have to make sure you’re talking the truth in those moments and conversations.
The conversations when he hired Jim Knowles was two-fold in that he could do what he’s done in the past if needed but also doesn’t need to because Ohio State has a four-down base and the talent to make it difficult for the offense. He has made it known that they don’t want a four-man rush straight all the time.
Why did they get away from the run against Oregon? They had some explosive pass plays. The last drive skewed it, but they did lose the rushing battle overall. Not a problem with the way Chip Kelly called it. A big part of it is what you’re seeing from the defense. That’s the sign of a good offense when you can go to something else based on what you’re seeing.
How important was it to have a bye week after a loss? It is what it is. “It was a long week for all of us.” A lot of hours spent talking about it. You chew on it and then move forward. Last Wednesday they addressed everything that is still ahead of them.
Not happy with where the deep passing game is. We have to do a better job with it. “We’ll be launching balls today.”
Will Kacmarek will be out for a little while. They have depth there. Gee Scott had one of his best games. Jelani Thurman and Bennett Christian have to step up. “We knew this was gonna happen.” Keenan Bailey has done a nice job building depth. Christian has made progress every step. He’s been consistent in practice. “His physicality is gonna help him.” It’s time for him to play anyway.
You have bigger decisions and harder conversations after a loss. “We’ve got to figure out how to play better in the fourth quarter.” “I think we have a really good plan for it.”
Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford have done a nice job of stepping up as backups. Jordan Hancock and Lorenzo Styles, Jr. could also be moved over if ever needed.
On Nick Saban saying OSU’s pass rush is antiquated? “When it doesn’t work, it’s accurate. And it’s not working. There’s a lot of different ways to do it.” When you have the results you have right now, certainly it’s not working and it has to change.
Nobody was hurting more after the game than Will Howard. It was a second short. He had a great energy today. He had a really good practice on Sunday.
What does it look like him being more involved in the defense: On the field, in the meeting room. “Whatever needs to get done is gonna get done.”
They will rotate guys in at left tackle to get additional looks, but that’s normal anyway throughout a week of practice. The illness in camp helped build experience and confidence in camp. “Now Zen’s really gotta take a step up.” It’s one thing to clean up in the fourth quarter of a game, it’s another to be a starter.
How much faith do you have in Jim Knowles right now and why? “Because I’m in the meeting room.” “I know what we need to get done and we’re gonna get it done.”
They sent in the replay to the Big Ten of OSU calling a timeout with one second remaining. The Big Ten said there was no time left on the clock.
What do you want Will Howard to take away from those lost six seconds? When you’re in that spot, there’s a lot going on, with six seconds left, you have to get down pretty quick. You second guess everything when it doesn’t work out. They worked the same exact situation twice last week. That way when it comes up again, they’ll be able to handle it better.
How much do you listen to outside noise and do you ever take anything from the outside noise? It’s easy to say just ignore it, but your players and their parents and recruits are reading it and hearing it. It’s his job as head coach to make sure they win those games late.
When you go into a meeting room with the defense, what’s it like? Are you telling them what you want or just listening? “A little bit of everything.”