Head coach Ryan Day leads the team onto the field ahead of No. 1 Ohio State’s game against Michigan State. The Buckeyes won 38-3 at Ohio Stadium.
Credit: Brett Price | Managing Editor for Content
It’s been 23 years since the Golden Gophers reigned victorious over the Buckeyes, but the 5-5 Minnesota football team led by head coach P.J. Fleck will surely do everything in its power to spoil Ohio State’s perfect season before The Game.
Repeatedly, head coach Ryan Day has preached that “you have to be playing your best football in November.”
With lingering injuries, a serious Heisman contender that wins down field, a quarterback who is working to be 100 percent “confident” and a defense that has steadily been toward the top of the charts, the Buckeyes are working hard to practice what Day preaches.
Before the Golden Gophers walk into Ohio Stadium Saturday, here are updates from Day’s Tuesday press conference:
Injuries
In the fourth quarter against Wisconsin, senior safety Lathan Ransom was carted off the field with a lower-body injury. Moving the third week without Ransom in the secondary, Day said he does not foresee him returning for the remainder of the regular season.
“There’s a chance he can come back, you know, this year, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be anytime in the next couple weeks,” Day said.
Freshman safety Malik Hartford has been a staple in taking over Ransom’s role. He has made five tackles and notched a pass breakup over the last two games.
Tommy Eichenberg, the graduate linebacker, often referred to as “the quarterback of the defense” by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, likely has a shorter timeline, Day said.
Eichenberg left in the fourth quarter against Rutgers with an arm injury, while graduate safety Josh Proctor played the entire game, but took a hard hit to the upper body.
“Expecting to have a good week of practice for both of those guys,” Day said. “We’ll have a better idea as we get towards the end of the week.”
In last week’s first quarter versus Michigan State, starting defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. left the game with an injury. Day said he has no update on him, but he has confidence in the depth of the position.
The team has found its identity
Through 10 games, Day said each team has its own identity, character, dynamics and path, but his Ohio State team has found who it is, and Day has taken notice.
“Coming to work every day with these guys, I mean, the consistency, the maturity, the competitiveness, the look in their eye — this is a great team to be around,” Day said. “It’s about these guys on the team. It’s about the guys that put [it] on the line every single Saturday.”
Day was asked this in response to Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh’s comment at his press conference Monday in which he called the Wolverines “America’s team” amid their controversy.
What Day sees in McCord’s progression
In the recruitment process, Day said what he saw in junior quarterback Kyle McCord was “size, his arm strength and intelligence.”
With 10 starts under his belt this season, his performances have been up and down. McCord went from throwing three interceptions and fumbling the ball over two games to having his best game against Michigan State Saturday.
Day said coming off last week’s career-high 335 passing-yard, three-touchdown game, he’s seen the confidence grow in him.
“Every time you’re out there you gain more and more confidence because it’s not new anymore, and then it slows down,” Day said. “The last couple games he started out finding the speed of the game really well, much more efficient early on, and that’s led us to get — certainly in this last game, to get good momentum.”
Kickoff against Minnesota is set for 4 p.m., and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
