Quick hitters from Ryan Day Rutgers postgame press conference

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — No. 1 Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) preserved its perfect season with a 35-16 win at Rutgers (6-3, 3-3) Saturday afternoon following another sluggish start offensively.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media postgame. Lettermen Row has updates.

What Day said after the Ohio State win…

+ Day was asked about Josh Proctor’s game-changing defensive play that led to the 93-yard Jordan Hancock pick-six. He said the defense hung in there even when it was put in some tough spots. “The pick-six certainly opened things up,” Day added.

+ Day said Ohio State didn’t call a fake punt in the first quarter. “It was a miscommunication on that, and that can’t happen,” he said.

+ Day said tight end Cade Stover was available, but they just didn’t feel like it was the right call for him to play. He’s one of the tougher guys that’s been around the program during Day’s time. “We’ll look forward to getting him back next week,” Day said.

+ Day said the first-half effort by the defense was “gutsy.” “Those guys are playing hard, across the board,” Day said. He noted that Rutgers is physical, especially coming off its bye. Ohio State has had consecutive weeks of facing tough-nosed opponents (Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers).

+ Day said that early on Rutgers was playing Ohio State in a two-high shell. They were dropping their safeties real deep and put clouds on both sides to take that part of the Ohio State offense away. “So we kind of recognized that at halftime and realized we gotta be patient enough to run the ball all the way down the field,” Day explained. In other words, Rutgers did a good job of taking the Buckeyes’ receivers out of the game. Eventually, Ohio State adapted, and quarterback Kyle McCord took what the Scarlet Knights were giving him underneath, plus with check down throws.

+ Day was asked about the continued slow starts Ohio State is having this season. He noted the early touchdown pass to tight end Gee Scott Jr., and how that was good. All it takes is for a couple drives to take you off course, though. The run game takes time, Day pointed out. But Day said that when TreVeyon Henderson gets to the second level, he’s dangerous. “He is a mismatch,” Day said.

+ Day said week after week the Ohio State defense makes opponents drive the full length of the field. He reiterated that they don’t want to keep putting the defense in tough situations. But you have to find aw way to win on the road, and that’s what the Buckeyes did. Day gave credit to Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano for what he’s building.

+ Day said he feels like Ohio State just finds a way. “They don’t panic, they keep swinging, they keep fighting,” Day said. He pointed out that a huge part of the offseason was Ohio State to play better in the second half, and they’ve done that so far — although he, of course, wants the Buckeyes to start games faster.

+ Day was asked how long Ohio State’s defense will be without safety Lathan Ransom and cornerback Denzel Burke. Both didn’t play Saturday at Rutgers. “I don’t have the answer to that, and I don’t think we know the answer to that,” Day said.

+ Day said the Buckeyes’ goal is to be the No. 1 team at the end of the year. The CFP rankings “mean absolutely nothing,” but he recognizes that it’s great for the fans.

+ Day shouted out Gee Scott Jr. and Patrick Gurd (who first joined the team as a preferred walk-on in 2020) for stepping up in the absence of Stover.

+ Day said Ohio State has to be better on third down in the first half. They finished 6-of-12 on third down after starting 0-of-5 on third down.

+ Day was asked about how much the drops late in drives affected Kyle McCord. “We not used to see that,” Day said of the drops. He said you can always throw it and catch it better. “But yeah, there was a couple there that if we connect on those, it certainly keeps those drives moving and maybe it’s a different situation,” Day added.

+ Day was asked about McCord’s interception. “I had a good picture of it,” Day said. “It was a Cover 2 look. We’re high-low in the corner there, and I felt like the corner was low. I think he was going to Marvin, and the WILL was in the window there, and we just gotta put some more air on that. The ball came out flat, and I think that’s where No. 1 (Rutgers linebacker Mohamed Toure) got his hands on it and made the interception.”