Ryan Day recalls missing 2020 Michigan State game with COVID

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day are preparing for a road matchup on Saturday against the Michigan State Spartans. The Buckeyes are still undefeated at 5-0, while the Spartans sit at 2-3 overall. Ohio State will travel to East Lansing on Saturday. The last time the Buckeyes traveled to Michigan State was in 2020, when their head coach had COVID and had to sit out the game. In his press conference on Thursday, Day discussed what it was like watching his team play but being unable to do anything.

You can read the transcribed version of the audio below or listen to the video from 6:50 to 7:42.

“Yeah, I mean, it was very difficult. I sat in the basement with my son. The girls sat upstairs. And a lot of yelling at the TV. A lot of pacing around, watching the game. And then, as the game got the way it did there in the second half. I got to at least enjoy watching it. I wouldn’t say relaxed because you never relax until the game’s over. And, you know, some of those decisions that are made even in a game like that. When do you put some depth in? When do you not? Those are all big decisions that can have huge ramifications. So, we tried to communicate all that before the game. And it’s just hard. Kind of a surreal experience when you’re watching your team play and not being a part of it,” Day said.

The COVID season of college football during 2020 was certainly one of the stranger times in the nation’s history. Having head coaches sit at home to watch their team play games was something we likely won’t have to experience ever again, unless there is a suspended for some strange reason. The good part of the experience was that it likely taught coaches across the country how their players have felt over the years when they have been suspended, injured, or sick.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

The pipeline of wide receiver talent that Ryan Day has brought to Ohio State is incredible

The Buckeyes feature a pipeline of jaw-dropping wide receiver talent flowing to and from Columbus that would make plenty of NFL teams jealous. Marvin Harrison, Jr. and Emeka Egbuka have already combined for 54 total catches between them for over 900 total receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Ryan Day is lucky enough to have one of the nation’s best wide receiver coaches on his staff, Brian Hartline. Few coaches in college football history have built a wide receiver factory quite like he has during his time in Columbus.

Both Egbuka and Harrison were two of the nation’s best receivers coming out of high school and they are living up to their lofty billing. Harrison was ranked as the nation’s No. 11 receiver in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. Egbuka was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver in the 2021 cycle and a five-star prospect, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. Once he wrapped up his prolific high school career at Steilacoom High School (Steilacoom, Washington), Egbuka hauled in 199 catches for nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 61 touchdowns.

Ohio State travels to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 PM EST. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.