Ohio State head coach Ryan Day barks at an official during a game against Akron on Aug. 31 in Ohio Stadium.
Joshua Keeran | The Gazette
COLUMBUS — After wrapping up its non-conference slate with a 49-14 win over Marshall last week, No. 3 Ohio State is set for conference play as the first road test of the season looms on Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day met with the media on Tuesday to recap his team’s performance against Marshall and preview the challenges Michigan State will pose in what should be a raucous environment under the lights in Spartan Stadium.
“This is new,” Day said of the first away game. “You’re going on the road in a conference environment. I’m sure they’ll have a great crowd for a night game. They’re playing good football, so we have to face our first challenge on the road, and that comes with a lot of new things —traveling, handling crowd noise, and all the above. It’s a good challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Regardless of the task at hand in a given week, Day has always noted the game boils down to Ohio State and its ability to execute. However, he continued to play up a road conference game as a “big deal” requiring a ramped-up week of preparation for a Michigan State team for which Day expressed great respect.
“I think (head coach) Jonathan (Smith) has done a really good job already of establishing an identity there,” he said. “I feel like they have a really good young quarterback who can do a lot of different things. He can beat you with his feet, he’s made some really nice throws in big games for them, and won a game on the road already at Maryland. For a young quarterback, that should give him a lot of confidence.”
Day added of the Spartans, “On defense, they’re playing really hard. You can tell they’re well-coached. I think he’s upgraded in a lot of areas and doing a good job. This is a Big Ten road game for us, and we gotta bring it.”
Anytime a team hits the road for the first time, particularly in the conference, there’s an element of the unknown when considering how players might react to hostile crowds and the added importance of momentum shifts, especially late in the game. For a veteran team full of players who are no strangers to the largest of stages, Day didn’t seem concerned with how his team would handle those moments.
“I think when you have a young team, it’s significant,” Day said of those challenges. “But I think our guys have played a lot of football and been around a lot of different styles of games, so we should be able to adjust pretty quickly.”
Ohio State hopes to get a big boost back this week with the return of defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, who missed last week’s game with an injury. That return is far from a certainty, though. Day said on Tuesday that Williams is still listed as “day-to-day” and will be evaluated throughout the week.
In Williams’ absence last week, several players got their first taste of extended playing time and turned in mixed performances. Tywone Malone, Hero Kanu, and Jason Moore each played extensively in prominent roles, which Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles hope is the start of building depth at a position in need of more proven commodities.
Day praised Malone for multiple plays but noted he, like the rest of the group, still left a lot to be desired on other plays.
“I think when you watch the film, there was good play but there needs to be more consistent play,” Day said. “There’s a lot to learn from there and a lot to grow from. And this is an opportunity to build depth in that room. When Tyleik is out there, he certainly makes his impact felt. And just like when we lost Donovan (Jackson) there for those couple of weeks, it was an opportunity. So you learn about that when you have to step into that role. It’s different playing 10-15 snaps in a backup capacity to when you’re the guy. So it was a good challenge for those guys…”
On the other side of the ball, the Ohio State offensive line continued to take a step forward, dominating the line of scrimmage to the tune of 280 rushing yards. Tegra Tshabola made his third start at right guard and continued to do enough to keep himself in the starting lineup, but Austin Siereveld saw first-half snaps and did nothing to discourage Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly from continuing to play him.
“We’re going to keep moving forward just like we just did and let these guys both play,” Day said of the right guard spot. “As of right now, Tegra is going to start, but they’re both going to play. And they’re both excited about that. And I do think it’s good for them, especially early on, to have a series to catch their breath and get back in there.”
As for the backup quarterback position, Devin Brown remained the first quarterback off the bench last week, and Day said he saw some good from Brown but also throws he missed. Asked if Brown remains the unquestioned backup to Will Howard, Day said that is the case but alluded to the situation being fluid.
“Guys are competing every day in practice,” he said. “(Brown) would be our number two right now, but yeah, that’s across the board that everybody has the opportunity to compete. There are five guys in that (quarterback) room who want to get out there, so to say they’re not competing wouldn’t be right for them. They gotta come and bring it. And so we’ll have opportunities this week in practice to evaluate them and see where they go, but right now he is our two.”
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.
