Head coach Ryan Day leads the No.3-ranked Buckeyes onto the field.
Credit: Lily Hynes | Assistant Photo Editor
Seven and zero.
The Buckeyes are on the prowl for their eighth win of the season as they head to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, Saturday for a prime-time matchup against the Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten).
Ohio State has won two top-10 matchups this season following its 20-12 win over then-No. 7 Penn State Saturday and an earlier finale-second victory against then-No.9 Notre Dame. Though theose victories boosted the Buckeyes’ confidence, head coach Ryan Day said they can’t let those weeks affect this week — they have a big game ahead and they need to “bring it.”
“We talked about it on Sunday, as a team, that we’ve got to bring it this week. They’re playing well, they’re a really good football team,” Day said during his Tuesday press conference. “Championship teams bring it every week, they don’t have ups and downs and let downs.”
Here are this week’s updates from Day:
Injuries
Saturday’s game against the Nittany Lions left the Buckeyes without a few key players: junior cornerback Denzel Burke (ankle), junior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (ankle) and junior running back TreVeyon Henderson (undisclosed).
Egbuka and Henderson suited up against Penn State but never made an appearance in the game, alluding that they could have possibly been used in a critical scenario, or to throw the Nittany Lions off.
Day said he hopes to have all three of them back for the battle against the Badgers.
“We’re expecting to have great weeks of practice out of those guys,” Day said. “Expect them to have them ready on Saturday., I know I said that last week and didn’t quite get there, but no, we’re looking to have a really good week of practice and having those guys available.”
Sophomore quarterback Devin Brown — who plunged towards the end zone in a quarterback keeper during Saturday’s third quarter — was carted off the field with a right ankle injury. Day said after the game he injured a “lower extremity,” but gave no further information.
Tuesday, Day said Brown will likely miss a couple weeks.
“I thought Devin ran hard, again, I mean he poured it up in there and came up short,” Day said. “We lost him in that game and probably will for at least a week or two.”
Run game issues are “fixable”
In 41 plays, the Buckeyes rushed for 79 net yards. They averaged just 1.9 yards per carry with senior Miyan Williams leading the charge on 24 rushes for 70 yards after missing the previous game against Purdue.
With its 889 rushing yards on the season, Ohio State sits at 10th in the Big Ten, according to the Big Ten’s website.
“It wasn’t good enough,” Day said. “There were times where it was something that wasn’t fit up front, properly, or it was the running back maybe not hitting the hole correctly. There were a couple runs in there that I wish, schematically, we had back.”
With Henderson expected to return after missing three games, Day said he could be the difference as he leads the room with 299 yards this season.
“We know that he can hit home runs,” Day said. “He does allow us the opportunity to hit a home run and be explosive. That doesn’t just happen.”
Hancock’s impact
In and out of the lineup, junior cornerback Jordan Hancock has been a key piece of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defensive scheme. With Burke’s absence Saturday, Hancock got an even bigger role, leading to a greater impact.
“Very competitive, very instinctual and you’re seeing it,” Day said. “He works really hard, you know, he’s another guy with a great work ethic. He’s always in here watching film, getting extra work in.”
Hancock battled a hamstring injury for much of the 2022-23 season. and couldn’t “explode.”
So far t This year, Hancock is credited with 21 total tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Five of those tackles came against Penn State, along with one pass breakup.
Ohio State’s game against Wisconsin kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
