Eric Boggs
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wasn’t interested in crowning his team after Saturday’s 24-6 win at Washington, but he was quick to credit the Buckeyes’ defense for delivering yet again.
Against a Huskies team that had averaged more than 55 points per game and entered the night on a 22-game home winning streak, Ohio State’s defensive front dictated the action. “The plan going in was that Larry Johnson talked about four guys playing as one when you’re going against a quarterback like this,” Day said. “It’s easy to find yourself going off on your own and trying to make plays… All those guys working together worked because if you understand that the coverage and the rush are working together, now they’re starting to see how this works.”
Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald combined for five sacks in the effort, but Day framed the success as a product of discipline and cohesion. “They’re able to stick with it, cage it in there, and then get the sack. Did a great job stopping the run. Had a good plan, but it was about the execution of it,” he said. “Both of those guys played great.”
Through four games, Ohio State has now won in different ways—explosive offense against Grambling, resilience at home versus Ohio, and defensive dominance in Seattle. The constant has been consistency on defense. “I think the guys believe in the system,” Day said. “You have some guys in there like Sonny and Caleb and now Caden, IGB, that have played a lot of football. They’re the guys that are leading the way. Quickly these guys are following because they believe in them… You mix that in with the chemistry of the defensive staff and the game planning and the execution of it all. I think you’re seeing that.”
Day also pointed to the environment as a measuring stick for a young team. “We just went into an environment where they won 22 straight games and this team won,” he said. “If we can do some things a little bit better, we’re going to come out of this film session thinking that we could have even played a little better in certain areas.”
Third downs were another defining factor in the victory, as Ohio State’s defense held Washington below its season average. Day credited situational discipline. “It starts with first and second down. Trying to get them in the third and long. It’s playing situational football,” he said. “A big part of it was stopping the run on first and second down and forcing them into either third (and)medium, (or) third (and) long situations.”
Offensively, Day admitted the Buckeyes are still searching for identity, but he said the defense gives flexibility. “When you have a defense that is playing the way it is right now, you can play with confidence knowing that you don’t have to score every single possession,” Day explained. “You can control the clock and play it. I wouldn’t say more conservative, but you understand time, score, and situation.”
Quarterback Julian Sayin, making his first road start, helped swing momentum before halftime with a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith. Day pointed to that drive as crucial. “The middle eight, that’s it. So many games are won and lost in the middle eight. For us to score there and then come back before you turn, it’s 14-3,” he said. “It would have been very easy to get discouraged. We didn’t. Hung in there. Kept swinging. Kept battling. We showed resilience. That’s a positive.”
Day knows Ohio State isn’t yet a finished product, but he left Seattle encouraged. “We’re only four games in. We’ve got a lot of work to do here,” he said. “It doesn’t surprise me with the coaches that we have. It doesn’t surprise me with the players that we have. That being said, we’ve got a long season ahead of us. I think there’s confidence right now. That’s the most important thing for young players.”
