Ryan Day not overlooking Western Kentucky with looming Notre Dame matchup
Sitting at 2-0, Ohio State is two weeks away from squaring off against No. 9 Notre Dame. However, before the Buckeyes can stand toe-to-toe with the Fighting Irish, they must take on Western Kentucky. OSU head coach Ryan Day knows taking down the Hilltoppers won’t be an easy feat.
“We know areas that we have to improve,” Day said on Tuesday. “We have some guys who haven’t played a whole bunch of football and then we have some other guys who are really looking forward to taking the next step in their development.
“We got to keep building and growing in all three phases,” Day said. “We got a lot of respect for what [Western Kentucky does]. We watched the way they played Auburn last year. They’ll put stress on us. So, we got an opportunity to go out and try to play our best game of the year. That’s really what matters and then we’ll go from there.”
Western Kentucky’s imposing resumé
Ohio State isn’t the only team entering Week 3 with a spotless record. Western Kentucky defeated South Florida and Houston Christian, winning by an average margin of 23.5 points. While WKU’s competition hasn’t been fierce, the Hilltoppers have proven in the past they can compete at a high level.
Last season, WKU took Indiana into deep waters, narrowly falling to the Hoosiers in overtime. Later in the season, the Hilltoppers gave Auburn a run for its money, as well. Now, WKU hopes to turn heads once again against an unlikely opponent.
It won’t be easy. Ohio State is averaging 431 yards per game, boasting seven touchdowns through two contests. The Buckeyes defense is even more impressive, holding opponents to 193.5 yards per outing, the fourth-least in the country.
Ryan Day pushes his team forward
Despite his team’s obvious success, Day isn’t allowing his Buckeyes to settle.
“We’re one day at a time. Growing every day,” Day said. “We know we want to play our best football at the end of this season but we got to get better now, and that’s the message.”
That message served OSU well last season. In the team’s season opener against Notre Dame, the No. 2 Buckeyes handed No. 5 Notre Dame a 21-10 loss. Notre Dame held tight with OSU for most of the game. However, after Xavier Johnson hauled in a 24-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the third quarter, the Fighting Irish never landed another punch.
OSU will ramp its way up to the massive matchup when it faces off against WKU on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on FOX.