Ryan Day avoids question regarding respect for Jim Harbaugh, Michigan staff: What Ohio State coach said about Wolverines

Michigan Wolverines football has embarrassed Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day each of the last two seasons, with a 42-27 win in 2021 and a 45-23 victory last year. Those two games came after Day reportedly told his team that the Buckeyes would “hang 100” on Michigan. They’ve totaled 50 points in two meetings, and Day has fallen to 1-2 against U-M as the man in charge in Columbus.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh — who won’t be on the sideline for Saturday’s matchup due to an unprecedented suspension levied by the Big Ten — dodged a question about his respect level for Day during his Monday press conference. According to reports, it may have been Day or those close to him that hired a private investigative firm to look into his bitter rival to the north. Reports from Yahoo Sports and the Associated Press indicate that Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue colluded by sharing Michigan’s play-call signals last season.

Day was asked a similar question to Harbaugh, about if he respects the Michigan coach and his staff. He side-stepped it and rambled about avoiding distractions.

“I think with everything going on and the things that are out there, we just kind of stayed away from all the distractions,” Day said. “We have, and just focused on our team. And I think our guys have done a good job of it. I think when you talk to our guys, I’ve talked to them a couple of times about what’s gone on this season and going into the game, but they’re focused on this game, they’re focused on this season, they’re focused on their preparation — and we’re just going to continue on that.”

A reporter inquired with a separate question about if it “saddens” the Ohio State coach that there may be less respect in the rivalry than in years past.

“I was taught that the way you respect the rivalry is to work it every day, whether it’s in the weight room, whether it’s game planning, talking to your players, periods at practice during the spring, periods in practice in the preseason,” Day said of the Michigan rivalry. “And that’s it. We do. We respect the rivalry and certainly excited to play here on Saturday.”

In response to how he can’t let Saturday’s game against Michigan become “personal” for him and his staff, Day said: “Not that it’s easy, but the only thing that matters is this game, is this team, is preparing. The rest of it doesn’t matter. So, that’s what we have to do. We have got to stay disciplined enough to focus on that.

“It goes back to the conversation about emotion, letting emotion of the game and everything get in the way. We can’t do that. And every year, you learn more and more about this game and the preparation for it. We’re not going to let any of that stuff get in our way, in terms of distractions. We’re just going to focus on this team, this season and preparing the best we possibly can.”

Day is under immense pressure this season, despite having an 11-0 record in 2023 and 53-6 mark since being promoted to head coach in 2019. The Buckeyes had won eight straight meetings against Michigan leading into the last two years, but the rivalry has shifted in the Wolverines’ favor.

“I think every year you just learn more and more,” Day said. “I guess this will be my sixth time in the game. You learn quickly when you’re here. But each year, you learn more and it has more of a significant impact on you as a person. I think all of our guys when they come here, whether it’s a coach or a player, they’re here for one reason, to win that game.

“I guess every year that you’re here, you learn about that more and more. But shoot, my youngest daughter doesn’t know any place other than Ohio. This road means the world to me and my family.”

The rivalry is certainly different than when Day arrived as the program’s offensive coordinator in 2017. He said he doesn’t know specifically how it’s changed, but that the tough losses have been a source of fuel.

“I don’t know. I think it’s a good question, but we take every year as it is and go from there,” Day remarked. “There are guys with scars, and I’m one of ‘em. So, it just drives you every day to work harder and to make sure you do everything you possibly can to win the game.”

Here’s more of what Day told the media during his Tuesday afternoon press conference:

J.J. McCarthy vs. Kyle McCord

Third-year quarterbacks will lead each offense Saturday — J.J. McCarthy for Michigan and Kyle McCord for Ohio State. McCarthy grew up a Buckeye fan just outside of Chicago, but OSU went with McCord in the 2021 class, and McCarthy wound up at U-M.

A former four-star recruit, McCarthy has used his development at Michigan to become much more successful at the college level than the five-star McCord, at least to this point. He led the Wolverines to last year’s win over the Buckeyes and is 23-1 as the Maize and Blue’s starter.

Day didn’t get into specifics about the process of choosing McCord over McCarthy, but spoke about the Michigan signal-caller.

“There are all kinds of things that lead into recruiting. No, I mean, J.J. is always great,” Day said. “He was very respectful. He was a very competitive player. I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a player and as a person. During the recruiting cycle, you just spend time with different people and different folks, and you learn about people. All my interactions with he and his family were very classy.”

Ohio State has won tough road games

Ohio State has already been challenged in a tough atmosphere, winning via a game-winning touchdown run against 10 Irish defenders, 17-14 Sept. 23 in South Bend. The Buckeyes also beat Wisconsin, 24-10, at Camp Randall and are 5-0 away from Ohio Stadium.

“We have the schedule right over there, and I point to all those white blocks right there, the teams we knew we had to go on the road [to play] this season more than we had in the past,” Day explained. “Certainly knew we had to go on the road for this one. So, like I said before, it’s all on preparation for the last game of the year. So, it’s been great to get tested, to get battle tested.

“Again, you talk about reference points, our team does have reference points. It’ll be loud, it’ll be a hostile, great environment. But we’ve been in those before, and so a reference point going into the game is important.”

Facing Michigan’s red zone defense

Michigan leads the country by allowing opponents to score touchdowns on only 33.3 percent of their red-zone opportunities. Perhaps even more impressive is that teams have only gotten into the red area 18 times against the Michigan outfit, with that mark also checking in top in the nation.

“Well, they don’t have very many snaps down there,” Day said. “So, there’s not a ton to go off of. But every yard is worth two or three down there, and then you gotta do a great job of execution.

“The field gets smaller. We call it the 12th defender, the end line, so you just gotta operate in a smaller area. So, you’ve gotta be efficient. That’ll be another situation that’ll be huge in the game, those four-point plays where you either kick a field goal or score a touchdown on both sides of the ball.”

Last season, Ohio State scored only one touchdown on four red-zone attempts against Michigan, throwing an interception and settling for two field goals.

‘Conversations’ about the Michigan tunnel

Like many other college football venues, Michigan Stadium has just one tunnel that leads to each team’s locker room. Two seasons ago, the Buckeyes, who trailed 14-10 before being beatdown in the second half, threw up middle fingers and chirped at Michigan as it tried to reach its locker room. Last season, Michigan State players assaulted U-M athletes after losing 29-7. Day said there have been “conversations” in Columbus about the tunnel.

“Folks have been talking about it here for a couple of weeks and putting some good plans together to make sure we can focus on what matters, and that’s getting on the field and playing football,” he noted.

Chaos in the tunnel between Ohio State & Michigan pic.twitter.com/HedljphBq1

— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) November 27, 2021

For all the marbles … for now

Michigan and Ohio State will play for the opportunity to take on Iowa in the Big Ten championship. The winner is almost guaranteed to earn a College Football Playoff berth, too. Next season, the 12-team playoff will begin, and divisions will be gone in the Big Ten. The two squads could play two weeks in a row going forward. Day still believes the stakes will be just as high.

“I’m sure it’ll always be just as much on the line when these two teams play,” Day said of the Michigan rivalry. “Certainly, it’ll be different, but I don’t think it’ll change anything, just on the format. It’s always going to be this way. The format certainly will change next year, but I don’t think the rivalry will ever be anything less than what it is right now.”