COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) - The Ohio State Buckeyes football team takes on Tennessee at 8 p.m. Saturday in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are coming off their second loss of the season in the regular season finale against Michigan.
Coach Ryan Day sat down with NBC4's Kyle Beachy ahead of the matchup.
Q: Kyle Beachy, NBC 4: Coach Day, 12 team playoff this year. First time for it in a typical year. Season's pretty much over at this point. What's it feel like going into this this next week?"
A: Ryan Day, Ohio State: "Well, we've known that this was going to be a long season and, you know, I think as you've looked at this season, there's been a lot of, you know, changes and, you know, ups and downs. I think, first off, you know, the Big Ten change this year. You know, we had some injuries this year. You know, we had the loss early in the, you know, midway through the season at Oregon. And, you know, we learned a lot about ourselves in that game. But, you know, ultimately we wanted to, you know, get into the playoffs. We're in the playoffs and there's a lot of teams are in the playoffs right now. We certainly had some of the things we wanted to get done. But, but here we are and our team's excited about it and we're focused on it."
Q: "There's only one option at this point and that's to look forward. Every game you learn something. What did you learn through the last game about yourself and about the team that you're going to use?"
A: "Well, I think the first thing is that, you know, you're not the same team. You know, week one, week six, week 12, there's things that change whether it's injuries, personnel scheme, and you know you have to continue to adapt as the season goes on. We have to make sure that we're maximizing our strengths and that we're minimizing our deficiencies. We also have to make sure that we're all coaches, players being accountable to each other of doing their job. And I know it sounds simple, but that's really what it comes down to. And so, you know, all those things were learned coming out of the season."
Q: “Looking at the offense slow starts at times this year. Is that something that that you're aware of or is that something that you're focusing on going into this week is, is getting getting in rhythm quicker?"
A: "Overall execution is always important and you know, getting that first first down is important and once you get the first first down, then you start getting yourself towards midfield. You know, where we also have to do a good job is in a red zone. And I think that's an example of situational football that when you look at an NFL playoff games, it usually comes down to situational football, some sort of two minute at the end of the game. How well do you convert in a red zone? You know, third down, all those types of things. And so, you know, we've got to make sure that we're maximizing every single possession. It doesn't matter if it's the first one of the last one."
Q: "Tennessee's got some studs on the defensive line especially and they've got a lot of they run a lot of guys in and out with the injuries that you've seen on the offensive line. How do you prepare these guys to go out there and see 10, 11, 12 different guys that are always going to be fresh?"
A: "Well, there's always going to be four guys out there and so, you know that that part isn't what concerns us. What we're concerned with is our overall execution and making sure that, again, we're putting in our guys, our guys in the best position to be successful, that maximize our strengths and minimize our, our deficiencies. And that's what the focus is. And, you know, gaining confidence as the as the game goes on, as we execute down the field."
