Head coach Ryan Day stands with the No. 2 Buckeyes prior to their matchup against No. 5 Indiana Saturday at the Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes claimed a 38-15 victory over the Hoosiers. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
The Buckeyes have counted down 366 days since last year’s rivalry matchup with Michigan. Now, just four days remain until “The Game” kicks off at Ohio Stadium.
“We’ve been training all year for this moment,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “Now, we just need to go do it.”
Day went on to express the sheer importance of winning Saturday.
“For everyone in the program, the No. 1 goal when you come here is to win this game,” Day said. “And that needs to be embraced.”
These are the three most important takeaways from Day’s Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center.
Win in the trenches
Dominating battles in the trenches and running the ball have been major elements in The Game’s collective history.
Day said the run game — and who can stop it — are two of the biggest deciding factors in who will win.
“The team who runs the ball and the team who stops the run is going to win The Game,” Day said.
Day compared The Game to “a war,” noting how the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry always brings major benefits and drawbacks, depending on which team emerges victorious.
“Anytime there’s a war, there are consequences and casualties, and then there’s plunder and the rewards that come with it,” Day said.
Preparation, handling emotion and avoiding distractions
With every iteration of The Game comes great expectations and high emotions.
Even so, Day said he wants players to keep their heads steady and prioritize each other over any outside noise.
“It’s easy to get distracted with everything else. We’ll let the fans and everybody else kind of talk through all those things,” Day said. “We’re going to focus on each other, playing really hard for each other, and focus on getting ready to go play in this game so that we can execute at a high, high level.”
Day said his players already possess the drive to win, so he just suggests they mentally and physically prepare themselves as much as possible.
“They don’t need any extra motivation,” Day said. “What they do have to do is do a great job of preparing themselves — their mind, body and soul.”
Recruiting and roster management
Nov. 4 marks early signing day for college football. According to the Associated Press, the Collegiate Commissioners Association announced March 7 that it would move early signing day three weeks ahead of its original mid-December date.
Though Day is currently focused on The Game, he said he realizes how important early signing is to revamp the Buckeyes’ roster for upcoming seasons.
“It’s hard to think about anything else or take any time right now to do anything other than focus on The Game,” Day said. “But that being said, you still have to recruit, you still have to make sure you’re getting yourself ready for the recruiting class and for signing day.”
