Day: No reason not to respect Penn St.
Nittany Lions remain formidable despite suffering pair of losses.
COLUMBUS —
If Penn State suffering back-to-back losses took some of the steam out of their visit to Ohio State this week, no one told Ryan Day.
The coach of the Buckeyes made that and more clear this week. Here are five takeaways from his weekly press conference:
1. This is still a big game as far as the head coach is concerned: “Well, look at the games that we’ve had with them in the past,” Day said. “They’re always a dogfight, which is the way it’s been. And I know it’s going to be that way. They have a lot of pride. They’re a very good program.”
Ohio State has won four in a row against the Nittany Lions, but two of the games were decided by one point while the Buckeyes won by 11 and 13 the past two seasons.
“They’re one of the best programs in the country, so it’s hard to beat these type of teams. We know when Penn State comes into town we better be on our game. This is going to be one of those games that’s physical back and forth and we’ve got to start fast and be ready to play for four quarters.”
2. The Buckeyes will prepare the same as any other week:
“Our standard is not going to change, but we also know what’s in store so we’ve got to utilize everything this week,” Day said. “That’s what’s important. If you’re playing in big games, no stone’s unturned. Everybody’s got to utilize every minute of the day. You can’t waste a rep. You can’t waste a minute in a meeting. You’ve got to be efficient as a coach. Players need to get their rest — all those things. But other than that, we’re going to practice the way we’ve practiced since week one. That’s the best way we know to prep.”
3. He might have some extra words for his quarterback, though: C.J. Stroud has been coming on strong lately, but everything is new this year for the firstyear starter.
In this case, it’s a night start at home against a ranked team.