Ryan Day speaks to the media Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center before Ohio State takes on Minnesota on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
For the first time in 689 days, the Buckeyes will play a home conference game at night when they face Minnesota Saturday and seek to stay unbeaten on the season.
The last time they faced a Big Ten opponent after dark: a 38-3 drubbing of Michigan State on Nov. 11, 2023.
“[It] should be a great crowd, a lot of energy,” head coach Ryan Day said. “I think our guys are feeding off the energy of the program right now.”
After snapping Washington’s 22-game winning streak Saturday, Ohio State will now face a 3-1 Golden Gopher team that is coming off a 31-28 road win over Rutgers.
A victory over Minnesota would give Day a career win percentage of .882, the highest for a head coach in college football history.
These are takeaways from Day’s Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Gopher’s strong run defense
Minnesota allows the second-fewest rushing yards in the Big Ten, with 65.5 per game. Day said his team needs a strong game plan for the Golden Gophers’ run defense.
“You don’t just run the ball against Minnesota and think you’re just going to run the ball without a lot of hard work,” Day said.
After 77 yards on the ground against Texas, the Buckeyes have averaged 216 rushing yards over the last three games. Freshman Bo Jackson leads the backfield with 297 yards through those three games.
Ohio State ran the ball 34 out of 62 plays against Washington for 149 total yards and a touchdown.
Team chemistry developed on Washington trip
Ohio State traveled to Seattle on Thursday, two days before its matchup with the Huskies, and Day said the cross-country trip brought the team closer.
“The amount of camaraderie that was going on and bonding in those meal rooms during that time, I think, was good,” Day said.
Day compared the team’s road bonding to last season’s College Football Playoff games.
“Getting back on the plane, enjoying that win on a long flight back was great,” he said.
Caden Curry’s big day against the Huskies
Caden Curry was responsible for half of Ohio State’s six sacks against Washington and five of its nine tackles for a loss, which ties a school record.
That performance earned Curry a multitude of weekly honors: Big Ten Defensive Player, Walter Camp National Defensive Player and the Maxwell Club’s Bednarik National Defensive Player.
“(Curry) is somebody who has played a lot of football here, special teams-wise and made a lot of plays,” Day said. “Now he’s a key contributor.”
Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald’s two sacks against Washington earned him the Football Writers Association of America’s Bronko Nagurski Co-Player of the Week, alongside Curry.
