Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day speaks to the media Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Three weeks into the college football season, No. 1 Ohio State’s week ten matchup with then No. 2 Penn State was primed to have major postseason implications.
Since then, Ohio State has remained atop the rankings, while the Nittany Lions have lost four straight conference games and fired head coach James Franklin. As the Buckeyes look to pick up their ninth straight win over Penn State, the 3-4 Nittany Lions will look to win their first game in over a month since they defeated Villanova 52-6 on Sept. 13.
Despite Penn State’s struggles, head coach Ryan Day isn’t focused on the Nittany Lions’ recent woes but rather a team that was ranked in the top two in the preseason AP poll.
“I don’t think there’s many teams in the country that have more talent than Penn State has,” Day said. “I think people recognized that early in the season. Sure, it hasn’t gone the way they wanted it to, but that doesn’t change that they still have really good players.”
Here are the three takeaways from Day’s press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday.
Facing a slumping Penn State team
Interim head coach Terry Smith and Ohio-native quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer lead the Nittany Lions, with both making their second start in their respective roles.
Despite all of the changes in Penn State’s locker room, Day recognized that the Nittany Lions will give the Buckeyes their best shot on Saturday.
“They really have a nothing to lose mentality,” Day said. “So we have to be on high alert at all times for things.”
He emphasized the importance for the Buckeyes not to let any distractions get in their way of a Week 10 win.
“These games against Penn State have always been a battle,” Day said. “It was a battle last year, it’s going to be a battle this year.”
Mental focus for the rest of the season
Although Ohio State is undefeated and sits atop the college football rankings, the remaining five regular season games will determine its postseason layout.
“We have 12 [games] that are guaranteed, that’s it,” Day said.
For the Buckeyes to return to the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2020–when they defeated Northwestern 22-10 –and have a chance to hoist the national championship trophy once more, Day emphasized the Buckeyes’ need to continue to get better each day.
“We have to live everyday like it’s our last game, that’s the way we have to look at it,” he said.
Becoming more explosive in run game during bye week
The Buckeyes had 73 rushing attempts against Illinois and Wisconsin, with six runs accounting for over 10 yards.
Day used last week’s time off to determine how to create more explosive plays in the running game.
“During the bye week, we’ve been able to look at the things that we’ve done well and the areas we’ve got to get better at,” he said. “Everybody’s involved with the run game.”
