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Game Thread Illinois at tOSU, Sat. Sept. 26, 12pm ET, FOX

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Ryan Day​

On playing depth against Kent State​

  • “Yeah, that was the benefit of the second half, getting guys in the game and getting the graded.”
  • “Had a good spirited week of practice.”
  • “Looking forward to this one.”

On Ohio State’s youth​

  • When Jim Lachey told him Ohio State is the 11th-youngest team in college football, Day responded “I didn’t know that number right there” with a laugh.
  • “You got to get these guys going.”
  • “When you have young guys in there for the first time, they’re learning, and eventually as they play more, they begin to remember. That’s what it’s all about.”
  • “It’s gonna be a long season. We’re gonna need a lot of these guys to play.”
  • “We’re starting to identify the guys we can build all three phases around.”

On turning the focus to Big Ten play​

  • “This is gonna be a great nine-game run for us.”
  • “Glad that we had the Texas game in between (Ball State and Kent State). Obviously not excited about the result, but glad that we had to have a reference point of things we needed to get addressed going into this one.”
  • Day reiterated Ohio State will need everyone during Big Ten play and players need to make plays when their number is called upon.

On Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd​

  • “We see them playing a lot of football. They’re gonna be major contributors, and we need them to not play like freshmen — to really step up, because they’re gonna have opportunity.”
  • Day said Henry has “the size that looks like Jeremiah” so his catch radius is “significant.”
  • Day said Boyd “came in with a pretty extensive football IQ” and has shown excellent short-area quickness.
  • “We’ve had guys that have played as freshmen, but not this early, so credit to those guys for the work they’ve put in, but now they got to go put it on the field, and now we need them to step up.”

On Devin Sanchez​

  • “You see the ability there.”
  • “But the question is gonna be, as time goes on, is he gonna be the guy we can count on throughout the whole season? I think we all believe he can be, it’s just a matter of him doing it.”
  • “We know what we see in practice. He’s doing a good job against the receivers we have, but now you got to go do it and put it on the field based on the packages we’re putting in there.”
  • “He has the right mindset. He has a huge ‘want to.’ He cares a lot about his teammates, cares a lot about Ohio State. Now that we’re getting into conference play, he really wants to stack some of these games and be that guy that we’re counting on.”

On Illinois wide receiver Collin Dixon​

  • “Good player.”
  • “Strong player.”
  • “Has now grown into a really good player in the conference.”
  • Day said Ohio State’s defense has to “know where he is” and doing everything it can to slow him down. “Good challenge for our secondary.”

On Illinois’ defense​

  • Day said Illinois will blitz frequently and have plenty of movement at all three levels.
  • “You have to be on the attack.”
  • “You got to go attack these guys.”
  • “We got to have everybody on the same page, especially up front.”
  • “We have to mix it up but also make sure we’re doing what we know best.”

On Julian Sayin​

  • “I thought the ball moved around better in the game this past week.”
  • Day said Ohio State improved in some areas against Kent State but there’s still other areas to get better.
  • Day said wide receivers not named Jeremiah Smith will have to step up against Illinois and fight for yards after the catch.

On Luke Fahey​

  • “He’s a smart guy. He’s a competitive guy. He’s an edgy guy.”
  • “He learns quickly. He eats up all the work. Loves to be out there.”
  • “Never feels like anything is too big for him. Just kind of walked in here and the first day he felt like he should be taking snaps with the first group. That’s just how he’s wired.”

On Justyn Martin​

  • Day said Martin has embraced his role as Ohio State’s scout team quarterback.
  • “When you’re there, you got to do whatever you can and then maybe catch somebody’s eye. Like, hey maybe there’s something we can do with this guy in a package down the road.”
  • “I would say because of the way he’s embraced that role, the conversation has come up. If he continues to go down that, he’s gonna almost force us to look into some of those things.”

On Ohio State’s running backs​

  • “We want to be extremely effective.”
  • “We want to come out of the gate and get downhill and knock people off the ball and get to the second level.”
  • Day said he wants Ohio State’s running backs to run angry against Illinois.

On Jake Cook as Ohio State’s sixth offensive lineman​

  • “Not everything was perfect.”
  • “Jake’s a good enough athlete that he can move around and do some things, too.”
  • Day said Cook won’t be running vertical routes, but he could run routes to the flat.
  • “There was some good play there. There were also some things he’ll learn from and grow.”

On Jamir Perez​

  • When asked if Perez could play fullback for the Buckeyes, Day said, “I never thought of that. The hole would get clogged up pretty fast with the big fella running through there.”
  • “He has the size to really make a difference inside.”
  • “I believe that everything we invest in him we’re gonna get back in the end. It’s his job to make sure he’s doing everything he can to build the trust of the staff so he can get reps with those guys up there.”
  • “I think we all see the talent. We think he has a bright future here.”

On James Laurinaitis being the Victory Bell Ringer​

  • Day joked that Laurinaitis will “have to hustle” to get to the sideline after ringing the Victory Bell.
  • Day said Laurinaitis is one of the program’s all-time greats.
  • Day said Laurinaitis loves pouring into his players. That’s what motivates Laurinaitis to coach. “He’s got a lot of pride in this school.”

On Connor Hawkins​

  • “He’s been very consistent in practice, and so we have all the faith in the world that he’s gonna continue to do his job at a high level.”
  • “He’s gonna have an opportunity at some point to make some big kicks here, and we know that he has the ability to do that.”
  • “He takes his job very serious.”
  • “No-nonsense kind of guy.”

On Ohio State’s special teams​

  • Day mentioned Ryan Rudzinski and Inky Jones as players who have stood out on special teams.
  • On Jones: “Inky’s killing it on special teams right now. I think he’s got a chance to be one of the better gunners or jammers there are in the country.”
  • Day also mentioned Jason Moore as another player who has “paid their dues” and is earning reps through hard work.
Just sayin': Click on the link to hear the entire interview.
 
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Bestbuck36 said:
Every once in awhile when people start to question things and grow a bit concerned, the Buckeyes throw out a complete game and destroy an opponent and things quiet down again. Maybe it's the crispness in the air tonight but I have a feeling Saturday is one of those games and we smash Illinois by a lot.
Click to expand...

I hope they save it for a better team.
 
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