Quick Hits: Ryan Day Says There’s Still “Meat On the Bone” in the Run Game, Calls Special Teams Mishaps “Ridiculous”; Carnell Tate Labels Julian Sayin “A Heisman Winner”

Ryan Day saw plenty to like — and plenty to fix — in Ohio State’s 34-0 win over Wisconsin.

Day praised Julian Sayin’s efficiency through the air and Carnell Tate’s playmaking brilliance but admitted the Buckeyes “left some meat on the bone” in the run game and called the team’s special teams breakdowns “ridiculous.” Still, Day said Sayin’s command of the offense, Tate’s growth into a “first-rounder” and the defense’s second shutout of the season showed the team’s potential as it pushes deeper into October.

Later, Tate called Sayin “the truth” and “a Heisman winner,” crediting the freshman quarterback for giving him chances to make plays downfield. Sayin reciprocated, lauding Tate’s consistency and route-running while emphasizing Ohio State’s commitment to improving week by week.

Here's a bullet-point recap of the Buckeyes' postgame press conference:

Ryan Day

On Ohio State’s run game against Wisconsin: “Yeah, I would have to look back and watch the film and figure out what was good and what broke down. As you guys could tell, we wanted to come out and throw the ball more in this game and try to get a feel for where we really are in the passing game because we’re gonna need both here down the stretch.”

Day complimented Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin defense and said it posed a challenge for Ohio State’s offense. “This is a defense that tackles well. They’re well-coached. Luke does a good job.”

Day said Ohio State’s offense broke down at some points for a couple of reasons: “It was because we just lost focus or didn’t execute well all the way down the field. … But it’s good for them to feel that as well. Now as we throw and catch we have to be efficient in working the ball down the field. But all it takes is one play to be off and then you find yourself off-schedule. It was good on the first drive, we came out, found ourselves on third and long and made a great throw and catch to score. It was good to get a turnover and get the rhythm going.”

Day with more on the run game: “We left some meat on the bone in the run game, for sure, but to see us throw the ball the way we did is a big step in the right direction. I thought Julian made some really good decisions in the RPO game. I thought he checked the ball down, for the most part, when we needed to. And then his off-schedule plays were excellent to me. He found his checkdowns at times, but his scramble plays like the one to Brandon (Inniss) was really well done, and he had some other ones as well.”

Day said Isaiah West’s performance against Wisconsin impressed him. “Those two guys in the hole that he made miss, that’s a good sign for a young back. We’ll kind of see what it looks like and see where we go from here.”

Day said Ohio State does the best it can to get the ball in the hands of its playmakers; however, Day said the Buckeyes can’t become preoccupied with individual statistics and must instead remain focused “on staying within the system and not putting our offense at risk of sputtering in a drive and not scoring a touchdown.”

On Sayin’s performance: “I’m impressed with his preparation. I sit in those meetings with Billy, (Julian) and Lincoln (Kienholz). The amount of information that he’s processing and those guys go through in those meetings is well done. When you see that translate to on the field, that’s winning football. When you can take a meeting to the field as quickly as he can, see it and process it — is he perfect? No, there’s things he’s gonna work to get better at, but man, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

On Carnell Tate’s performance: “His play speaks for itself. I mean, the catch he made early on is tremendous. You see some of those catches he makes on the sidelines. He’s a great blocker. He’s playing himself to be, again, a first-rounder, an All-American. He’s just a different style of player than Jeremiah, but he’s just as dangerous and just as good.”

Day said Tate’s hard work over the past three years sets a standard young players in the program should look to follow.

Day said Ohio State still has plenty of room to improve “We had the special teams breakdown, which we can’t have happen. That can cost you a game. That was ridiculous. … We know what our issues are, and we have to continually work on them to get them better.”

Day joked with reporters that he wanted to receive more questions from reporters about the defense, “who just shut the team out over here.” Day said Ohio State’s early turnover was crucial. He said the Buckeyes did a great job against Wisconsin’s run game. “We just kept playing, and that was great.”

Day on Ohio State shutting out Wisconsin: “I hope nobody is getting used to that because, like, that doesn’t just happen. This is a lot of hard work that gets put in. Give the defense a ton of credit, give the staff a ton of credit. Obviously, our guys on defense played their tails off.”

Julian Sayin

On Tate: “I think you knew about him coming in because he had a great freshman year. Just his route running, his hands and the ability to get open. You can quickly see it on Day 1. It’s evident in practice and games.”

Sayin said Matt Patricia and Ohio State’s defense give the Buckeyes’ offense “a lot of confidence” because “you’re prepared for it all” on Saturdays. Sayin said Patricia gives the offense “a lot of crazy looks.”

On his performance against Wisconsin: “I’m really just playing one game at a time and trying to do my best to execute the offense and keep improving. I think our offense is all about just keep improving week by week. We’re not where we want to be yet. We want to be playing our best football in December and November.”

Sayin said “the game called for” him to throw the ball as much as he did against Wisconsin.

On whether Jeremiah Smith or Tate makes a better Biletnikoff Award candidate: “It’s really tough. We got two guys when it’s one-on-one and you’re looking both sides you’re like, I have full confidence that both these guys are gonna go score a touchdown for us. It’s really tough, but we have a great receiver room here and these guys make some great plays for us.”

Carnell Tate

On when he knew Sayin was special: “I knew he was very special when he first got here. He throws a very accurate ball, understands the game of football.”

Tate thanked Sayin for giving him a chance to go up and get the football on his first touchdown catch of the game. “It was just a great ball from Julian for giving the chance to go up there and make the play. There just happened to be two defenders up there, I just went up there and grabbed the ball.”

On Sayin: “He’s the truth. He’s a Heisman winner. There’s no ifs, ands or doubts about it. Each and every week, he shows us he’s a Heisman winner.”

Tate said Ohio State must remain focused on the task at hand and can’t get distracted by anything happening in the program. “We just got to play football now and then worry about what’s going on now… what’s in front of us and not this week or the week after that.”

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