Ryan Day explains why he doesn't 'feel good about anything' for Ohio State yet
In Week 2 against Western Michigan, Ohio State rushed for 273 yards, at the time the Buckeyes’ most in a game since Nov. 12, 2022. Then in Week 4 against Marshall, Ohio State’s next game following an off week, its rushing attack piled up 280 yards on the ground, one-upping its previous performance.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day was asked Tuesday if he feels good about where his team’s running game is heading into a Week 5 meeting with Michigan State in East Lansing.
“Yeah, I don’t feel good about anything,” a no-nonsense Day said. “That’s just my mindset. I mean, I don’t. That has to be everybody’s mindset. You start to feel good about something, complacency can sneak up on you fast. So, no, nobody feels good about anything.”
Day spoke this offseason about a “leave no doubt” mantra he wants his team to have this year. And while the Buckeyes have allowed only 20 points through three games and racked up more than three times as many yards of offense as their opponents so far, he’s also aware of the competition Ohio State has faced in a three-game non-conference slate that didn’t feature a power conference squad.
Even so, Day did concede Tuesday that he believes the Buckeyes are, in fact, “building confidence” on the ground.
“I think guys are starting to [be like], ‘OK, we can get after some people now,’ and they’re starting to have a little bit of fun,” Day said. “And I think the way the running backs are running, you can feel that. That’s [palpable] when you when you’re out there. And so we got to keep building on that. Again, bigger challenges are ahead and all that, but that part has been encouraging, I would say.”
Ohio State is currently 14th nationally in rushing offense with 241 rushing yards per game. Last year, the Buckeyes finished 88th in that department with 138.85 rushing yards per game. Through five games in 2023, they had just 12 run plays of 10-plus yards. The last two games alone this season, Ohio State has recorded a combined 17 run plays of 10-plus yards.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line is making second-level blocks that are helping spring explosion in the run game, something that didn’t happen consistently last season. Plus, Ohio State is riding the two-headed monster that’s made up of running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, both of whom are averaging at least 8.6 yards per carry.
“More than anything, we want the execution,” Day said. “You gotta do your job. You gotta grade out a ‘champion,’ but it’s how hard are you playing down the field and finishing blocks and finishing your runs? We saw that here. But, again, it’s just a start.”
Day isn’t crowning anyone after three games. The Buckeyes are upholding their standard, as evidenced by the program intentionally not naming a “Defensive Player of the Game” after giving up two first-half touchdowns and 203 yards in the opening two quarters to Marshall.
Ohio State is entering Big Ten play with both eyes toward improvement. And so, despite the impressive numbers across the board — and especially in the run game — Day doesn’t “feel good about anything.”
That’s his mindset as he motivates a 2024 Buckeyes team hunting for a national title.