Ryan Day on win over No. 3 Penn State: 'We're gonna have some fun in Columbus tonight'

It looked like Ohio State was in for a long day against Penn State, trailing 10-0 in the early going. But the Buckeyes turned things around and rallied to get the 20-13 victory over the No. 3-ranked Nittany Lions, and Ryan Day had every reason to smile afterward.

As Day spoke with FOX’s Jenny Taft postgame, he was grinning from ear to ear. Ohio State kept Penn State out of the end zone in the fourth quarter and got the ball at the 1-yard line. That’s when the Buckeyes ran out the clock, putting the finishing touches on a Top-5 win to keep their Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes alive.

What stood out to Day, though, was the defense’s performance. Penn State had 1st-and-10 at the 3-yard line, but Ohio State stopped the run three straight times before Drew Allar’s fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds. That gave the Buckeyes the ball with 5:13 to go on their own 1-yard line, and they drained the clock from there.

“Just the toughness overall,” Day said of the defense. “Just to stand in there and get the stand like that, it just shows the grit and the toughness of this team. There’s a smile right here on my face. I’m really proud of this team and the physicality.

“And then, to get the ball on the 1-yard line and then, finish the game the way we did on offense just shows the physicality of this team, the toughness of this team to go get this win. It feels really good. We’re gonna have some fun in Columbus tonight.”

Ryan Day: ‘We kept fighting, we kept swinging’

Will Howard shook off the early pick-six and fumble out of the end zone to have a solid day for Ohio State. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 24 rushing yards – including the game-winning scramble for a first down with a minute to go.

But the story of the game was the offensive line, which dealt with plenty of questions entering Saturday’s game. Ohio State was down to its third option at left tackle, but Ryan Day praised the job Donovan Jackson did against a tough pass rusher in Abdul Carter. Add in the way the Buckeyes responded to issues throughout the game, and it made the win even more special.

“We’re crushed with fumble on the 1-yard line, all these different things that came up,” Day said. “But we kept fighting, we kept swinging. Donny steps in like that, never playing left tackle against a really good player in Carter. I thought Will was tough. He just kept fighting and battling. Man, I’m just happy for our guys.”