Football
September 25, 2021by Caroline Rice
COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and a handful of Buckeyes met with the media following the Buckeyes’ 59-7 win against Akron.
Here are the highlights.
Ryan Day
+ Day thanks the crowd. “We heard them. We could tell they were having fun out there and they were loud.”
+ Day said there were a lot of players who needed these snaps and this experience to keep building and get to where they want to be near the end of the season.
+ On K’Vaughan Pope, Day said he is getting the details before he says anything.
+ He has a hard time with players leaving after four games to redshirt but it’s hard as a coach to make decisions on who plays and he counts on them to still be great teammates if they aren’t getting on the field.
+ He will watch the film more to evaluate the quarterbacks, he has to figure out where their eyes were at times. Kyle McCord was working at hyper-speed early on. Jack Miller came in and had poise and did some positive things.
+ Day said from the beginning he knew they would need all three quarterbacks. If they have three players they can play then they are in good shape. They’re still working towards that but the live game experience will benefit them in the long run. “It was exciting to get them these reps.”
+ On the pass rush after Akron came out and scored, Day said the confidence of the defense built up over the series. “This is new for our guys.” They are building reps.
+ Ronnie Hickman is starting to build a reputation for a guy who is playing really good football right now. Cody Simon is also starting to show up. Tyleik Williams showed up in the backfield a lot. Mike Hall played hard. There were some strides in the right direction and they tackled well. “Overall we brought it pretty good.”
+ Day settled McCord down after the first possession. He told him to “take a deep breath, find the pace of the game, trust your eyes and trust your reads.” McCord was breathing pretty heavy after the first possession.
+ On C.J. Stroud’s health, Day said they will know more about his health on Sunday but he was feeling stronger on Saturday.
+ Day said the fact that both of the quarterbacks played in games and got series under their belts was a good thing.
+ On Pope, Day said this is not a team situation. A lot of players want to play and he can’t play everybody and frustration kicks in. “It’s very isolated.”
+ On the confidence of the quarterback room, Day said “At least you have an idea of what you have.” They now have things they can grow from and build on.
Antwuan Jackson
+ The defensive line play was big. They had the pressure on them from Coach Day to establish a pass rush. People got to see what they could do.
+ On getting the entire room going and setting the tone, Jackson said there was a big emphasis to get a pass rush from everybody. “It was a whole d-line effort.”
Paris Johnson Jr.
+ It was a good feeling to see the team come together and make plays.
+ McCord didn’t get fluttered. He played really well.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
+ McCord stepped up to the challenge and made some good throws. “I thought he stepped up in a big way. I thought he was confident.”
+ If they complete the pass, it’s a good ball to him. He doesn’t care where it is as long as it’s around him.
+ On settling McCord down after the first drive, Smith-Njigba said he knew things would slow down for him and it did and McCord took off from there.
+ On the jet sweep passes, Smith-Njigba said he likes that he can get the ball quick and do whatever with it. It built confidence and momentum for McCord.
Steele Chambers
+ He feels at home at linebacker. He likes to just do his job. “I think we’re just building momentum.” Chambers said they didn’t have the experience coming in but they are building it now.
Haskell Garrett
+ As a group, he stopped counting the total number of sacks.
+ He has a lot of confidence in the young guys. “This is a start and now we’re going into conference play. I’m confident in our young guys.”
+ On controlling the game with the defense, Garrett said it was really important and the players executing the game plan was huge. “The defense as a whole got started and now it’s time to just roll.”
+ Tyleik Williams is great. He is excited for what Williams brings to the table for the defensive line, and for his future. “He wants to be a relentless player.”
+ They focused this week on just getting better. “Focusing on ourselves and being the best ourselves.”
+ On the success of the defensive line, Garrett said the offensive line gets them better everyday. “Iron sharpens iron.”
Matthew Jones
+ He is settling into his role and tries to prove himself with every step he can take. “Today was another step of improvement.” He is going to continue to give it his hardest.
+ On McCord’s presence, Jones said he believed he could do it. He stepped up. He knew that the offensive line had his back.
0 Shares
