Cotton Bowl Updates: Ryan Day, Steve Sarkisian Make Final Statements

ARLINGTON, TX — With the 2025 Cotton Bowl one day away, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian took part in their final media session — a joint press conference at AT&T Stadium. The coaches answered questions about their teams and each other and gave their final thoughts as the College Football Playoff semifinal looms. The winner will go on to play for a national title. The highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

Ryan Day

Thoughts go out to the folks in Pasadena with the wildfires.
AT&T Stadium is one of the best game environments you can find.
“I’ll say this for our team, every week we have had an opportunity to grow and build and we’re excited about being in this spot.” This new format has allowed teams to grow throughout the season. You can see that in Texas. They have grown and adapted. They are well coached and have played in big games. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere.” The team is excited. “And I’m excited for our fans.”
Nothing that either team has done before now will have any impact on what happens on Friday. “Every single week the slate is wiped clean and you have to start from scratch again.” The team that takes care of the ball and executes better in the end will win the game.
In terms of fewer snaps on offense by design: They wanted to have fewer snaps because of the number of games they would be playing this year, but they also wanted Will Howard to be able to look his team in the eye in the huddle and get them ready for each play. “We don’t always do that but it’s helped us.”
Texas is very aggressive offensively. He has followed Steve Sarkisian for many years.
Day loves calling plays but he felt it was time for him to spend more time with the team, the defense, and special teams. He needed to be more available later in the week when preparing for situations like fourth down. “It consumes your mind.”
On opening against Texas next year: The playoffs allow for a loss or two during the season, which allows for growth. It’s healthy and great for the game.
Is this an angry, emotional team? “I think that this team plays for each other. All year I’ve been proud of our men.” They continue to talk about it. If you win, you move on and you get to play together again. The second thing, there are great stories individually and collectively within this team. “This is a resilient group and they know who they are right now.” Ultimately it comes down to execution.
There will be a lot of conversations in the offseason about tweaking the CFP.
What has Cody Simon meant to the defense: It’s notable that both Mike linebackers in this game are No. 0. Cody Simon does everything right. “That’s the best way to describe him.” He communicates with the front and the back end. He gets everyone on the right page.
How has your NFL background prepared your approach for the CFP this year? The bowl experiences are much different than they used to be. These are just road games now. Being consistent is very important for the coaches and players. “These guys are not pros. They are not in their middle-to-late 20s.” It takes great discipline to handle this kind of workload. The emotional build up is key as well. You don’t just walk into AT&T Stadium and be ready to play.

Steve Sarkisian

Thoughts go out to the folks in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
It’s not realistic to think you’re just going to go undefeated playing in the Big Ten or the SEC anymore. The teams that can be still be standing is a great honor and it is humbling.
On OSU’s low number of snaps: Part of that is because they score so quickly. But now that you’re in an NFL format, it’s about who is playing the best at the end of the year. The OSU roster was regalvanized after the Michigan loss. “I could probably poll everybody in this room and they’d say Ohio State is the favorite in this game.” They’ve earned that right with their play.
On getting out to fast starts: “We don’t really change.” The opening script isn’t the end all, be all, but it does create some confidence in the offense when it works.
On calling plays: He was hired because of his offense at Alabama and his staff has been together for many years, so the lines of communication have been very clear and healthy. Will he always call plays? “As long as I’m decent at it, I’ll probably continue to do it.”
On opening against Ohio State next year: If you look at the final four teams, none of them played an FCS team this year. “The players we recruit want to play against the best.” You can feel that energy early in the season and in camp. The players look forward to it, but it can also show you your deficiencies and you can go about fixing them.
“I don’t think many of us our going to complain about this 12-team playoff.” Some tweaks probably need to be made but “I think we’re off to a great start.”
Any thoughts on changing your kicker? That’s part of coaching. Kickers are a very individualized position. Ultimately there’s a psychological approach that they try to use, but they do need consistency kicking the ball.
You don’t get any points for being an underdog. If you lose by five, you don’t actually win. They don’t really talk about being an underdog “but human nature if human nature.” They’re all on Twitter. They hear it.
On Cody Simon: He’s versatile. He can stop the run, but he’s also got seven sacks. “You can feel his presence, and I think that’s the sign of a great linebacker.”
“I’m very proud of Quinn. His journey has been unique to him.” He’s kind of the new age of college quarterbacks, and now he’s facing his old team. He’s battled injuries, but he’s always stayed true to who he is. He’s been steady seas for the team. Very attentive to details. His work ethic has been unmatched. He plays free and loose.
How has your NFL background prepared your approach for the CFP this year? The length of this season is foreign territory for today’s college student athletes. The consistency with which you have to keep your players focused on the task at hand is a mental grind. The NFL does a good job of allowing breaks. He has had to find moments to re-energize the team.
Right tackle Cam Williams will play.