Ryan Day reveals what concerns him about Notre Dame's defense
Ryan Day and his Ohio State squad might be favored to win their opener against Notre Dame and first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, but the Buckeyes are prepared for a defensive challenge from the Fighting Irish. Freeman of course brings his own background as a defensive coach — and former OSU linebacker — but has also hired former Miami head coach Al Golden as his defensive coordinator.
The ambiguity around Notre Dame’s defense is enough to keep Day paying close attention.
“Well they are coached very, very well,” Day said. “Do a great job of mixing up the different styles of defense that they play. And they have a new defensive coordinator. So, certainly Marcus has his fingerprints all over the defense, but now that you have Al Golden there, it’s a little bit of a different staff. So, I think probably just a little bit of the unknown, going into the game.”
Defense will surely be a strength for Notre Dame, but Ohio State should be up to the task of matching the Irish. After putting up nearly seven touchdowns a game a year ago, with a single-game low of 26 points (in a win at Nebraska), the Buckeyes offense has a lot to live up to, replacing two top-15 picks at wide receiver in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
But the Buckeyes offense should be among the best — if not the best — offense in the country with an arsenal of talent returning. Led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and playing behind an offensive line that features multiple future draft picks, the Buckeyes should be more than up to the task of handling whatever the Irish throw at them.
But that doesn’t mean Day wouldn’t prefer having a few more answers to the test ahead of time.
Day also said Ohio State has a lot to prove this season
2021, ultimately was a disappointment at Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan and missed the College Football Playoff. Day, while respected as one of the game’s best coaches, knows that standards are higher than that for Ohio State. Now, in 2022, expectations are through the roof for the Buckeyes to compete for a national championship.
While speaking to the media, Day addressed expectations at Ohio State in 2022.
“I think, coming off of last year, there’s no big heads,” Day said. “I mean, this team is hungry. This team has been hungry, has been gritty, and we gotta go win this first game. And, they know that. So, there’s no big heads on this time right now. We’ve got a lot to prove.”
Later, Day was asked about blocking out outside noise.
“We don’t talk about any of those types of things because that’s not what the focus is,” Day said. “And, the competitive stamina is what we’ve been talking about because we know that at Ohio State, you have to bring it every single week. And, in order to get to reach our goals, where we need to be, we have to bring it every day and every game, and, so, we start looking ahead and lose a day, then we put ourselves at risk. So, focusing on the process, focusing on the day, and making sure that we have the stamina that we need to go win this game.”