What Ohio State coach Ryan Day said about ‘really good’ Notre Dame football

There was a stark departure in the mood of the Notre Dame opponent’s head coach press conference this week compared to that of three of the four the Fighting Irish faced so far in 2023. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day isn’t just happy to be going against a program like Notre Dame.

Day wants to beat the Blue and Gold. It’s what he expects.

Day did give Notre Dame its due here and there in his presser. But overall, the theme of what he said propped up his Buckeyes and placed belief in them to be able to go on the road this weekend and leave South Bend with a victory late Saturday night.

“I’m glad we went through those three games to get to this point with some of the new faces that we have,” Day said. “We did work out some of the issues. Excited to get on the field and go play this one now. I think we have a pretty good idea of who our team is and where we’re at. Now it’s time to go play. We are in a much different place than where we were in Week 1.”

Confident. Here is everything else Day said about the matchup and specifically about Notre Dame.

On if the Ohio State game plan is different being at Notre Dame with a QB making his first road start

“I think you build up in these first few games to figure out where you are going into this game. And you go from there. I think we got some confidence going into this game. We got a rhythm. We got to have a great week of practice. It’s going to come down to winning the line of scrimmage, for sure. It’s going to come down to the fourth quarter and who’s going to be there in the end.

“They have a really good team. Marcus [Freeman] does a great job. They have a great staff. We got to go win a top 10 game on the road. Our guys are really excited for this game. You could see it Sunday. You could see it yesterday. Guys buzzing around. So now we have to have a great week of practice, and it’s going to come down to who wants to compete more.”

On ratcheting up the intensity to face Notre Dame

“Oh yeah. We don’t have a choice. It’s what we have to do. Again, top 10 game on the road. These are the kind of games why you come to Ohio State. This is an exciting series because it’s not something that happens often. Ohio State, Notre Dame, two of the bigger teams in the Midwest getting together for a home and home. Last year’s atmosphere was electric. It will be the same way on Saturday night. Our guys are really fired up for this.”

On game-planning against Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison

“You always have to know where he is. You have to be aware of that. You have to be smart about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. I think that’s the biggest thing when you’re dealing with a great corner; you have to know where he is. Not that you have to change your game plan, but you have to know, is it right? Left? Field? Boundary? Those types of things so your quarterback has an idea of the matchups he’s dealing with.”

“We’re going to do what we do, but at the same time he’s a very good corner. Good cover skills. Competitive. Good change of direction. Runs well. He’s very talented.”

On if he will allow himself a chance to soak in the South Bend atmosphere

“Probably not, but that’s the game. Been there a few times when I was at Boston College. Lots of respect for the history of the program and what they’ve done. Grew up watching Notre Dame. Wonderful program. Great tradition. They do a great job. But yeah, these are great moments. This is the highest level of college football. All eyes will be on this game, and that’s the way we love it.”

On former Notre Dame graduate assistant James Laurinaitis having the same role at Ohio State this year

“He’s done an unbelievable job since he’s been here. He’s helped out a ton. Being a graduate assistant, he’s a countable coach. He knows what it’s like to walk in the shoes of an Ohio State football player. He’s played in the NFL. He’s got great experience that he can share with our guys, and our linebackers really enjoy that. He’s been a great addition to the staff.”

On QB Kyle McCord’s approach to playing the Irish

“Kyle has to go play the game and we have to do whatever we can to win the game. That’s the bottom line. Whatever that looks like. We’re always looking for balance. We want balance. There are certain times where, like last year, we ran the ball a ton down the stretch and we were good making five or six yards a carry. But then there are also times when you have to throw it more because of what they’re doing and how the game is playing out. We have to be able to pivot either way. Whatever it takes to win the game.”

On Ohio State’s experience

“This is a group that has played on the big stage. Majority of these guys have done that and they’ve seen it. Even though Kyle really hasn’t been on that stage, he’s seen it. He’s been around it. He knows what it looks like. A lot of the guys coming back from last year’s team have been there before. So that’s good going into it. I think you saw last week what we’re capable of. It’s all there. Now it’s just time to go do it.”

On the Notre Dame offense with Gerad Parker and Sam Hartman vs. what it was last year

“Very different. Different coach. Different quarterback. You can tell Hartman is a veteran. He’s been around. He’s played a lot of football. Accurate. Intelligent. A lot of good attributes for a quarterback. He’s very good. He won a lot of games at Wake Forest and obviously he’s 4-0 now. Efficient. And I think they are doing a really good job with him.

“They’re running the ball. Running the ball out of various personnel groupings. Efficient. I think just a different style of quarterback than when they has [Tyler] Buchner last year. That was more of a quarterback run, spread run game. This is more pro style.”

On the Notre Dame running game complementing a downfield passing game

“I think anytime you deal with a pro-style run game you’re dealing with run and play action. They want to establish the run. It’s clear. You can tell that. I think [Audric] Estimé is running really well. Running hard. Once that happens, it opens up things down the field. That goes hand in hand. They’re doing a good job of that. They have a good plan in place. It’s a good challenge for our defense. We’ll have a long conversation today. We got to be able to rise to the challenge. We got to be aggressive but we also got to make sure we’re running to the ball and giving great effort. Avoiding big plays, all those types of things.”

On the crossover between players and coaches who have been at both Ohio State and Notre Dame

“Maybe just because of the location of where we are. And now that Marcus is there and being a former Buckeye, there are guys from Ohio in the program and vice versa. We’re not in the same conference but now that we’re playing against each other you recognize those things. A lot of respect for that program and what they do. They do things the right way. A lot of good coaches there and good players.”

On how Notre Dame played vs. Ohio State last year vs. the four games the Irish have played this year

“You take everything into consideration. You watch everything. You try to do the best you can to project out what you’re going to see. Some of it is based on the personnel they have this year. Some of it is based on schematics. The things they’ve seen this year, the ways they’ve adapted on both sides of the ball.”

On only scoring 21 points vs. Notre Dame last year

“Matchup games, it really doesn’t matter the score as long as you win. I get it when you’re playing Western Kentucky. There is a little bit of an eye test there and all that. But in that game [vs. Notre Dame last year], i thought we controlled the ball. We ran the ball well. The time of possession was really important there, and we won the game. In that game, that was the right thing to do. you never know what’s going to come in this game, how it’s going to shape out, what the back and forth is going to be. The ultimate goal is to win the game. That’s it. And that’s what we’ll do in this one.”

On how much quarterback experience matters in a game like this

“Yeah, I think it’s a factor. How much of one? I think Kyle has been around. He hasn’t played a whole bunch of football, but he’s been around. He’s seen it. He’s older and more mature than a freshman who is coming into the same situation. But I think experience does play a part of it. It’s not the number one thing overall. There are a lot of things that come with it. But I do think it’s significant.”

On the Notre Dame defense

“Some guys who have played a bunch of football. I think both corners are playing well. The safeties are playing well. I think the linebackers are excellent. They’ve seen a lot of football, played a lot of football. They are good players. There are some NFL players on that defense. They’re well-coached. They don’t give you a lot fo freebies. Not a lot fo missed assignments. They tackle well. They’re physical. It’s exactly what we expected, so we got to go play well.”