Ryan Day reveals how Ohio State is preparing for Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis
Ryan Day realizes that Ohio State has a huge challenge in stopping Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis. While the Buckeyes offense has been humming, Karlaftis has the power to wreck their game-plan on Saturday.
Prior to Purdue’s attempt at another upset, Day revealed how his squad is preparing to stop Karlaftis.
“They realize this is a big challenge,” stated Day. “Both J.T. [Tuimoloau] and Jack [Sawyer] are some of the younger guys .. they allow us the opportunity, (they) fit the same body that Karlaftis has. The combination of speed, power and quickness is pretty comparable.
“I would say that Karlaftis is probably the biggest challenge that these guys have had all year. Probably one of the better defensive ends in the country. They understand that going into the game — they’re going to have to be playing their best.”
While Tuimoloau and Sawyer may be good practice for an offensive line preparing for Karlaftis, there’s nobody who can mimic what the Purdue defensive end does. There’s a reason many are predicting he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
As Ohio State has dreams of the College Football Playoff, Ryan Day recognizes his team mustn’t let George Karlaftis wreck their season.
Ryan Day discusses importance of self-accountability inside Ohio State offense
In 2021, the Ohio State offense has been a well-oiled machine that many expected it to be for most of the college football season. However, there’s definitely been a few rough patches, such as the first half of the Penn State game two weeks ago. Prior to Saturday, Day discussed the importance of self-accountability between the Ohio State coaching staff and their players.
“I think it’s very important. There’s always, no matter what game it is, probably 3-5 calls that you wish you had back,” Day said. “If it’s 10-15, it’s usually a bad day. So it’s everybody across the board. And that’s the one thing that I think our offense feels is that we’re all in this thing together. Whether it’s the wide receivers, the quarterback, running back, or tight ends, the offensive line, or the coaches. And that we have to solve it at the end of the day.
“And we’re in this thing together. I think that’s important to see everybody in there together, working together. Knowing that if I’m doing my part then I’m accountable to the guy next to me. But all it takes is one guy to be off, that includes the coaches. So we’re all in this thing together. I think that was the point of the meeting.”
As Ryan Day attempts to bring Ohio State back to the College Football Playoff, he’ll first look to get past George Karlaftis and the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday at 3:30 PM EST.