By Danielle Daniels
Ryan Day OSU head coach B 11 9 2024 Postgame News Conference #3 Ohio State 45 Purdue 0.mp3
POSTGAME QUOTES OHIO STATE AND PURDUE
No. 3 Ohio State 45, Purdue 0
November 9, 2024 – Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 103,463
Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach
On the play of the defensive line and Tyliek Williams’ status…
“I thought JT (Tuimoloau) and Jack (Sawyer) were both very disruptive, and certainly the scoop and score was the epitome of that in this game. It starts up front, and Tyleik was available and could have played, but we felt like we’re going to hold off unless we really needed him. We plan on getting him back for next week, but it’s good to see some other guys step up to get in there and play.”
On freshman Eddrick Houston getting the start at defensive tackle…
“I have to watch the film and see, but he’s really flashed for us, making the move from defensive end into three technique, and he has a lot of ability. He is active, and he’s young, so he’s going to have to continue to learn. He’s going to make plays, he’s going to make some mistakes, and he’s got to grow up quickly, because we need him. I think the future is very bright for him. He’s going to be a great player for us.”
On Will Howard’s performance…
“He made some nice throws today and took care of the football. He did have the one sack that he needs to throw away there, but then he came right back and made two nice throws to get us back into it, which was huge.”
On dialing up the punt block…
“We felt like we had something on the punt block. We put Caden (Curry) and Mitch (Melton) off the edge there, which we felt was a good matchup for us at that moment. We put a lot of work into it, but then those guys executed it. We felt like especially in the first half of this game, coming off the emotional one last week, a special teams play could steal a possession to jump start us in the game.”
On deploying the jack position…
“It could be a weapon for us. It’s not easy to experiment in certain games, but we felt like it’s something that we have done previously with Mitch (Melton) and we’ve done previously with CJ (Hicks). So even going a year back, they at least had some recall on it and film that we could watch and get better at. There’s a lot more you can build on from there.”
On Jeremiah Smith surpassing another milestone…
“Jeremiah, he’s going to have to play his best, because he’s got a lot of film on the field. We’re in November now, so all those matchups are going to matter, but he’s getting stronger, he’s getting more experience, his understanding of coverages and different things. It’s great to see him break the freshman record.”
Will Howard, Ohio State quarterback
On playing mistake free…
“I wouldn’t say mistake free. If you look at the stats, you can say mistake free and turnover free, but definitely not mistake free. There are probably five or six plays I’d like to have back…but overall, to come out of it 21-of-26, that’s solid. I’m proud of how I took care of the ball today, that’s a big, big emphasis for us. Coming off last week, this is a solid performance, but not perfect by any means. I’ve still got a lot of stuff to clean up so that’s how I like to approach these things, never satisfied.”
On Jeremiah Smith and his freshman touchdown receiving record…
“I’m not surprised in the slightest. As a freshman I think he’s, if not one of the best, I think he’s the best receiver in the country. I think we have the three best receivers in the country on our team. I’m obviously biased but I’m lucky to have guys like that doing what they’re doing. I knew Jeremiah was going to be special from the first time I met him and he’s continued to get better and better. He’s a great kid and I’m really happy for him getting that record today. Nobody really was shocked, everyone was kind of like, ‘Oh yeah, you know, JJ is just kind of doing his thing again.’ He’s unbelievable, so I’m happy for him and he’s just going to get better.”
On what sets Jeremiah Smith apart…
“I think it’s the way he carries himself. He runs unbelievable routes, he’s fast, he’s one of the fastest guys on our team. He’s physical, but I think one of the biggest things about him is how he carries himself. Coach [Chip] Kelly said a couple weeks ago that you couldn’t tell he’s an 18-year-old kid out there, he just looks like a veteran. He looks like he’s been doing it for a long time. Does he have freshman moments? Of course, everybody does but overall, he doesn’t have missed assignments, he’s always where he needs to be and he knows what’s going on. For a freshman to step into an offense of this caliber and to not skip a step and to know what he’s doing all the time, that’s special. I think that’s what really separates him from the rest of the pack.
On running with the ball…
“I don’t think coming into this game we were expecting me to run that much. It’s kind of just built in and if the defensive end crashes I’m going to pull the ball. Obviously, in the red zone my feet become a little bit more important. I’m going get new cleats, by the way, just so you guys know. I’m slipping way too much and I look way too unathletic at times. I’m going to get new cleats next week. Yeah, we’ll fix that. It won’t be happening anymore.”
On spreading the ball and getting everyone involved…
“That means that everybody’s clicking. When we get eight guys involved, that’s huge. That means that the [second guys] are ready to step in when they have to and that means those first guys can come out and take a break if they need it. It fires me up – that’s a good sign. That means that everybody’s locked in. There’s really not much drop off from the ones to the twos, and that’s crazy to say when I just said that our three starters are the best in the country. To say that our backups aren’t a huge fall off is saying something. We got a lot of talent in that room and the tight ends are doing some really good things too. It’s encouraging. We want to be playing our best football in November and I think today was a good step. We have to learn from some things and just keep it going.”
On playing with urgency and consistency…
“That was something we stressed all week. It’s not about them, it’s about us. It doesn’t matter who walks out there across from us. We have to be who we are. We can’t just say that we’re the hardest playing team in the country and that we’re going to leave no doubt and then do it sometimes, we have to do it all the time. We did that at Penn State. We came out there with energy and intensity. It wasn’t perfect – I didn’t play my best game, but we scrapped it out and we got it done. That was the thing that we went through this week, saying we need to have that edge every single week. That has to be who we are and not just what we do from time to time. I think Purdue is a better football team than their record indicates. I don’t think that they’re a 1-8 football team, I really do believe that. I think that they do some good things, they’ve struggled a little bit this year. It’s not about them, it’s about us. If we’re going to be who we say we are and we’re going to be the baddest team in the country, we have to be that every single week.”
On playing behind a restricted offensive line…
” I don’t think it’s changed at all, it really hasn’t skipped a beat. They took some flack after that Nebraska game and it was obviously sad to see what happened to Zen, but Carson comes in and does a hell of a job against Penn State, and today I think he played a hell of a game again. My internal clock hasn’t changed. That’s not something I’m thinking about. I’m not, like, ‘Oh shoot, that’s Donnie out there.’ I’m not worried about that at all. I have the utmost confidence in those guys. There were a couple times today where I, like on that two-minute drive, I cannot take that sack there. I have to throw that ball away. Then the other one where I just freaking fell on my face in the backfield, that’s on me. I took two sacks that probably should not have counted as sacks for those guys, and I feel that for them, because it goes on their record, but I’ll get it back.”
Gee Scott Jr., Ohio State tight end
On blocking for his team…
“There’s a lot of things that go into that, but I think ultimately it comes down to one, your technique that takes your development, and second, most equally as important, is the mindset. It’s very similar to a rebound in basketball. It’s a choice. I think having the service leadership that I’ve really been able to develop in my time, oftentimes a big block to spring my teammate feels better than my own success. That’s the role that I’ve continued to grow in, and that I love to do, and I just take a lot of pride in being able to block.”
On the performance of special teams…
“Anytime that you’re able to see the fruits of all the labor you put in, that’s something that we work repeatedly. I think sometimes you guys see it on Saturday, it might look like it’s just a good play. We’re able to see behind the scenes how much work that went in, and there was just a repeated, constant amount of work that goes into those plays. I see those guys attack at a high level. It’s very enjoyable to be able to see those guys even go out there.”
Lathan Ransom, Ohio State safety
On the importance of pitching a shutout…
“It’s super important. Being here so long, not very many shutouts come along and it’s super hard to get, so to pitch a shutout is super exciting.”
On his interception…
“It’s funny, I actually can’t wait to go see Coach Knowles. It’s a play I actually messed up on in scouts this past week and he had a lot to say to me, so I can’t wait to go talk to him. I’m glad he showed me that play a couple of times so we got it fixed.”
On the J.T. Tuimoloau forced fumble and Jack Sawyer scoop-and-score…
“That was a great play by J.T. Defensive touchdowns are something that we make a big deal about around here, so for Jack to get in the endzone, that gets the crowd and the team going and it was extremely exciting.”
On how to improve going forward…
“There’s always stuff to fix on tape and it’s funny, we feel so great about a thing, then you get into the film room and you’re like ‘Man, there’s plays we left out there.’ We’re always trying to have that perfect game.”
On the importance of the blocked punt…
“It was extremely important. Coach Day made a big emphasis that we need special teams to make some plays, especially this week, so we went in there and had a couple different punt block looks. Caden Curry got there, making the play, and executed it perfectly, like we drew it up to be.”
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver
On the mindset coming off the emotional win against Penn State…
“We just had to keep it going and not be one-hit wonders. One thing Coach Day preached throughout the week was that in college football, teams can win a big game and turn around and lose to a team not as good.”
On where his work ethic comes from…
“I just want to make a name for myself. I also have a little brother who I want to be an example for. I don’t want to be a bad role model for him. I just want to work hard for everything I do in life.”
When he knew he had a chance to get in the endzone and how it felt…
“I knew the ball was coming my way once we saw they were in man coverage. Once it came to me, I caught it and scored a touchdown. At first, I didn’t even know I scored until I looked up on the jumbotron. I wasn’t even thinking about it, but it was a crazy experience.”
On not getting the ball every time he’s open…
“I have to recognize that we have a lot of weapons around us especially Emeka [Egbuka], Carnell Tate and the two best backs in the country. I don’t expect to get a ball every play, especially with the first rounders trying to get to the league who are trying to get film as well. I’m not upset at all. I’m only a freshman who still has two or three years left, so I’m not complaining, I just want to play football.”
On handling the weekly pressure of possibly breaking freshman records…
“I don’t really think about that. We have so much stuff going on, so many new plays to go over, so didn’t have it on my mind. I only found out about it after seeing it on the scoreboard. I had it in the list of goals for the season and what’s left is the Big Ten Championship and the [national championship].”
On how tough it has been to be consistent from week-to-week as a freshman…
“I feel like I progress week in and week out. Coach Hartline told me the other day that I have gotten better each and every week. It’s just me going into my routine and knowing that it isn’t just about the physical side, but the mental side as well. Today I feel like everything slowed down for me.”
Jack Sawyer, Ohio State defensive end
On his touchdown…
“I came around the edge, saw JT (Tuimoloau) punch it out, and I thought, ‘There’s no chance I’m diving on this ball.’ I was trying to scoop and score no matter what. It was a special play.”
On re-engineering the defense…
“You see the defense taking strides because we’re just making it simple. We’re letting play makers make plays and it grows every week.”
On the defense experimenting…
“We have a veteran group of players who have been around the system so long that we can play around with it. We also have full confidence in our D-line. They’re not going to let anything up so that also gives the coaches the confidence to call it how they like it.”
Ryan Walters, Purdue head coach
On Purdue’s performance…
“I thought we were able to move the ball, but again, when you play against the number two team in the country, you don’t come up with points when you get into the red zone… You know, when you’re 2-for-12 on third downs, you’re not going to give yourself a chance at the end of the game.”
On Purdue’s game plan…
“The plan was to be able to run the ball with some zone schemes based on the front, push the ball down the field, and try to use some tight ends and shift protections to give us some time. Ultimately, just didn’t make enough plays.”
On the season…
“I am learning how to respond to the moments that you don’t expect, and moments that are this difficult. I came here to win games. I came here to compete at the high stage, and we will dive into finding out how to do that.”
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