Ryan Day’s message for his team was clear on Wednesday: Focus on what matters.

On the field, Day knows this weekend’s battle with UCLA will be about his team executing and taking care of the football. Off the field, Day knows the Buckeyes must continue to avoid distractions and eliminate noise. Despite Ohio State being No. 1 in the CFP Rankings, Day said nothing the Buckeyes have done to this point matters.

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The Ohio State head coach also discussed Lincoln Kienholz, Bo Jackson, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Julian Sayin in his nine-minute press conference. We’ve included a bullet-point recap of the session below.

  • Day said Ohio State tried to get Lincoln Kienholz in for some pass attempts at the end of the Purdue game. Day said the Buckeyes are doing everything they can to keep Kienholz ready to play in games.
  • Day said the coaches saw what Bo Jackson could do during spring practices and preseason camp. “We felt really good about him.” Day said Jackson’s athleticism stands out to him. “It’s been good to see him grow each week, get stronger each week.”
  • Day said Ohio State is excited to play under the lights against UCLA. “Yeah, anytime it’s a night game, it’s exciting. I think we have some good recruits in, which is great. Should have a great crowd. … Certainly looking forward to it.”
  • On Jermaine Mathews Jr.: “If you don’t notice him, just listen for a little while on the field, you’ll hear him. … He’s a competitor. He’s playing well. … He’s playing good football.”
  • Day said Julian Sayin’s family provides a great support system around him. Day said Sayin will need to lean on his family and teammates down the stretch. “I’ve seen him be consistent. I think he shows that same demeanor you see on the field off the field. … Excited to see him now finish off the season the right way and stay focused.”
  • Day said Ohio State’s tight end room has good depth. He said the Buckeyes could explore using CJ Donaldson as a lead blocker for the team’s running backs rather than Nate Roberts or another tight end. “We’re pretty healthy in the tight end room in terms of depth. … It’s good to have versatile guys like that who are big and strong.”
  • Day said Ohio State needs to avoid distractions and eliminate noise down the stretch. “The thing we got to understand, players, coaches, everybody, how exact, how on point we have to be. That’s every week. The teams that we’re playing now and the teams that we’re playing in the future, we got to be good. … It’s gonna take everything we got to get there. … We’ve done nothing. … None of that has anything to do with moving forward.”
  • Day said Ohio State wants to be the “first team ever to be back-to-back” at Ohio State. To do that, Day said, the Buckeyes have to “focus on what matters.”

Matt Patricia

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