Quick hitters from Ryan Day Maryland postgame press conference

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media after a 37-17 victory against Maryland, a 20-point win that, at halftime, was a 10-10 tie.

Lettermen Row has a rundown of Day’s comments.

Here’s what Ryan Day said after the Ohio State win…

• Day when asked about quarterback Kyle McCord and settling in over time, he said he couldn’t quite understand what was going in on the first couple of drives. The Buckeyes were out of sync, Day said. As for that first drive ending in a turnover on downs, Day said it wasn’t called a fake punt, it was just a botched snap.

• “But the No. 1 goal is to be 1-0 on Saturday,” Day said. The Buckeyes checked that box. They also checked the box of playing well in the second half. But they didn’t check the box of getting off to a fast start.

• Day noted “some real good play by Marvin Harrison,” and Ohio State needed that because of how Maryland was stacking the box.

• Day said the offense got off schedule and found itself in some bad situations on third down. Ohio State didn’t stay in manageable situations.

• Day said running back TreVeyon Henderson being out was precautionary. He could have played if necessary. “The question was, if he played in the game, could he have a setback? The answer was yes.” So Ohio State played it safe, but the Buckeyes expect Henderson to play next week at Purdue.

• Day was very complimentary of the Ohio State defense and coordinator Jim Knowles. He shouted out the pick-six by safety Josh Proctor, as well as Proctor running down and making a tackle on kickoff inside the 20-yard line. Day emphasized how hard his players are playing right now, and he’s excited about what his team can become.

• Day noted: “The most exciting part of it is we haven’t even reached where we can be. So we got to keep building and growing. But one of the things that you’re starting to see about this team is we don’t panic. If it’s not going quite right, we’re going to keep pushing forward. And maybe in the past it was like, OK if things aren’t going well in the first half, if the scoreboard wasn’t turning over every couple drives, everybody would start getting panicky. I think these guys have some poise. They’ve played some games. And I’m counting on that experience to pay off here in October and November.”

• Day, when asked about the offensive line and potential personnel changes, said that he needs to go back to the tape and watch it. He’s aware there are a lot of guys in the box. Day noted that he expects the Buckeyes to rush for more yards than they did Saturday against Maryland (although he acknowledged the big sacks made a dent in Ohio State’s rushing total). “We want to be more explosive,” Day said.

• Day said McCord played well in the second half. His level of play in the second half is what they expect from him.

• Day said wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is still being evaluated. “Doesn’t seem like something major, but I don’t really have an answer right now,” Day said. Egbuka left with an injury in the second half.

• Day said Ohio State tried to change up its look in the secondary to make things more difficult for Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, in addition to mixing up number of rushers. Overall, it was a “job well done” by the Buckeyes in containing Tagovailoa, even though he had his moments.

• When asked about the 10 Ohio State penalties, including Day’s sideline interference, he said he’s going to have to run with the team Sunday for that one. Day added, “But listen, football’s a tough sport. There’s a lot of passion, there’s a lot going on out there. I’m coaching my tail off.” Day said that, above all else, there are too many penalties.

• Day said safety Josh Proctor is the best version of himself right now. He said he shouted out Proctor in the locker room postgame. “I’m proud that he’s playing like he is,” said Day, who noted there’s no substitute for experience.

• Day was asked about McCord’s slow start: “Had a hard time early on getting in a rhythm. As a coach, I got to try to help him and figure out how I can help with that. And then, whatever it is — whether we got to have him go run a few laps before we play the first drive or whatever it is — we’ll find a way to get him into rhythm. Because you can see the talent is there, the ability is there. But he cares a lot. And as coaches, we’ll help him get there.”