Ryan Day knows Ohio State can't let up during perceived 'lighter' stretch on schedule

When you’re a higher caliber program, the most difficult games to prepare for are often the ones against lesser opponents. For the Ohio State Buckeyes, they will have two games against teams at the bottom of the Big Ten before taking on the Maryland Terrapins. Those three games are followed by their season-ending showdown against their heated rival, the Michigan Wolverines. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day knows Ohio State can’t let up during this perceived ‘lighter’ stretch on schedule and succumb to a trap game. And recently, he explained how he prevents Ohio State from having a slip-up.

“Well, I think the first thing is, we’ve always said it’s about us; so why does changed this week? It doesn’t matter,” said Day. “Last week, going into Penn State, it was about us; it was about our preparation. I think that’s the first thing. So if that’s the case, then let’s just focus on us and getting better.

“I think the second thing is, you have to continue to do what you’re doing and get better every week. If you don’t, not only do you show a weakness, but you set yourself up for problems down the road. And I think that when you have a problem, or you lose a game; maybe it’s something you did that week. But maybe it’s something you did the weeks leading up to it. So for us, our goals are still our goals, and if we don’t maximize every single minute of the day this week, then it doesn’t matter.”

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Day also explains that competitive stamina goes a long way toward his team enjoying long-term success regardless of who they face during the week. For his Buckeyes, if they can maintain that level of competitive stamina and focus on themselves during this upcoming stretch of games, they will be just fine.

“That’s what winning football and games like that takes. We can’t lose focus on that because as we get into these games in November, we’re going to need all three phases. It doesn’t matter if you get X number of yards or hold them to X number of yards. What matters is that you win the game and what does it take to win the game.

“We talked about playing to win, and that’s our focus. But yeah, the competitive stamina part is something that we cannot take our foot off the pedal, and we got a roll. And we’ve got to get better every week. And we’ve got to embrace every single week that way.”