Eric Boggs
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day left Ohio Stadium on Saturday night with a 37-9 win over Ohio University in hand, but his postgame tone reflected both frustration and optimism. The Buckeyes moved to 3-0 heading into their bye week, yet Day made clear that execution — particularly in the red zone — remains a priority.
Looking at the stat sheet, Day pointed out that the run game produced solid numbers. “Bo (Jackson) averaged 12 yards a carry. James (Peoples) averaged 6 yards a carry. C.J. (Donaldson) averaged 4 yards a carry, and I think Jeremiah (Smith) had 17 on that run. We had 225 yards rushing on 31 carries,” he said. But for the head coach, that wasn’t the real story. “I think it’s more about when we got down to the red zone, we weren’t able to execute, and those runs were not efficient.”
Ohio State settled for field goals on two early possessions and stepped out of bounds on what could have been a touchdown. Day admitted that his priority in those moments was managing the game rather than chasing points. “At that moment in that game, again, can’t let ego get in the way and just kick the field goal, and let’s not get, you know, this game into a situation we put ourselves at risk,” he explained.
Day praised the way his team responded after Ohio cut the lead to four points early in the second half. “I was excited about the way that we didn’t panic, and I think that’s a sign of growth and maturity,” he said. “Everybody kept playing. Brandon did a great job on the punt return to get us going. We threw the ball on the perimeter… and then we hit the big post, and it kind of opened up from there.”
Defensively, Ohio State surrendered a 67-yard touchdown pass but otherwise controlled the game. “Other than a couple explosive plays, certainly the long pass, I thought our defense played strong tonight, did a nice job against a good offense,” Day said. “I thought we were physical, ran to the ball, played hard.”
Quarterback Julian Sayin’s performance was another focal point. Day compared playing the position to golf: “You can have a great day, but if you hit two in the water, your round’s ruined. Well, it’s the same way here. And a tip ball in a two-minute drill could cost you a game.” Still, he praised Sayin’s arm talent: “I thought, again, he had good timing. I thought his deep balls were excellent tonight. The first one down the sideline to Jeremiah had a lot of air on it, which allowed him to go make a play. And I thought both posts were well thrown.”
Day also spoke highly of freshman running back Bo Jackson, who broke loose for a 64-yard gain. “Bo has some home run hitting ability, which is a weapon for us, and we’ll figure out how that fits in moving forward,” Day said. “But you can see the vision, and you can see the explosiveness.”
With a bye week ahead and a difficult stretch looming, including a trip to Washington and back-to-back road games at Illinois and Wisconsin, Day emphasized the need to tighten up. “We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got our ducks in a row as we head into this run,” he said.
Even as he called the first half “frustrating,” Day left encouraged by how his team handled adversity. “I felt like the sideline, the players, the look in their eye, there was never any panic, which is a good sign for a young team,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our part as coaches, putting them in the right situation.”
For Ohio State fans, the 37-9 victory kept the season on track. For Ryan Day, it was another night of balancing celebration with the demand for growth.
