It's officially Week 7 for Ohio State as it looks to build its resume with a top-5 showdown against the Indiana Hoosiers -- the defending College Football Playoff national champion.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly game-week presser to preview the Buckeyes' matchup with the Hoosiers and give his final takeaways from the win against the Terrapins. The Ohio State head coach discussed numerous topics ahead of the Buckeyes' Week 7 game, including mindset, prep work, and Indiana's success.
Here's a look at some of the standout notes and quotes he had.
Line Of Scrimmage And The 'Huge Challenge' Up Front
Indiana’s clearest weakness is their pass defense - the secondary has been average. & Ohio State’s ongoing issue is the offensive line - particularly in pass protection.
If Tyler Bowen can get his group prepared and ready for the fight, I think Ohio State can win by DOUBLE…
— AzBuckGuy (@AzBuckGuy) October 13, 2026
Last week against Maryland, Ohio State was missing two starting offensive linemen and key veterans up front. Phillip Daniels, who missed his fourth straight game, was joined by Austin Siereveld, who was ruled out after being a game-time decision. On Tuesday, Day confirmed that Ohio State will have Daniels back this week, and it'll go a long way in helping this group prepare for the defensive line of Indiana. The Hoosiers are No. 8 nationally in tackles for loss, led by Tobi Osunsanmi, who leads the Big Ten with 9.5 on the season, while Stephen Daley has 5.0 of his 6.0 tackles for loss in the last three weeks. The offensive line has been shaky and inconsistent for most of the season, and Saturday will be the biggest challenge yet.
"It is going to be a huge challenge. They do an excellent job up front on defense. Their defensive line is one of the biggest challenges we'll have all season. We have to have a great week of preparation," Day said "... looks like we'll get Phil (Daniels) back ... we'll work through what that'll look like ... we have a plan in place, that's why we recruit and develop depth. That's what we'll have to do in this game and be prepared for whatever comes with it. The good thing is some of these guys have played against Indiana before and know how good these guys are and what comes with it. They'll have our attention for sure."
Message To The Team -- Focus On This Year
“Nothing that happened in the past has anything to do with what’s going on this weekend.”
— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) October 13, 2026
Ryan Day on Ohio State’s approach to its rematch with Indiana.
The Buckeyes have waited nearly a year for this opportunity.
🔗 More: https://t.co/qzASi5OUSs pic.twitter.com/cJQ6ghr46g
Following Ohio State's win over Maryland, numerous players began the discussion about Indiana and having this game circled on their calendars after last year. A 13-10 defeat to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship game stung deep for a lot of these returning guys and for the coaches. While emotions are 'good' to have, ensuring they are used properly is critically important -- especially for a game of this magnitude and on the road.
"Everyone has their own thoughts and emotions, but as we talked on Sunday and again here in the team meeting, nothing that happened in the past has anything to do what's going on this weekend," Day said. "We can learn from the past so some of the guys can learn from that game, about why we came up short, and that's good. But the focus has to be on right now, and that's it. So that's what we'll focus on, and that's the message to the team.
"The challenge right in front of us -- against a team that hasn't lost a game in a long time. Defending national champs ... we have to play clean, do our job, coaches and players included."
Playing Four Quarters
Ryan Day talked about Ohio State's ability to finish late and the importance of it against Indiana:
— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) October 13, 2026
🗣️ “That's two games in a row we’ve been able to finish the fourth quarter the right way. We need to continue to do that.”
Ohio State has had a long list of successful come-from-behind wins, but recently those potential wins have turned into losses. Whether it was Texas earlier this year, Indiana last year, Miami in the CFP Cotton Bowl, or Michigan the year before ... there have been a handful of moments where the Buckeyes play 50, 55 or even 59 minutes of very good football but lose focus for a few plays and watch a win turn into a loss, or a potential win falls short. Day understands the mentality needs to be every play, every quarter, every second on Saturday in order to come out of Bloomington with a win -- a place that Indiana has yet to lose at under Curt Cignetti.
"You have to stay focused for 60 minutes. That's the challenge for all of us -- take a play off, and these guys will hurt you. We can't do that," Day said. "From the jump, we have to be locked in with great concentration, and sustain that for the entire game. If we don't, they'll hurt us, and they have (done that already).
"Playing for four quarters, it doesn't matter what the score is; it's sustaining that for the full 60 minutes ... there will be situations where we have to elongate the game and play the two-minute situation because we are tied or behind. The only time we've operated like that (this year) is the end of the first half. We talk about it a lot, practice it a lot ... We're confident we will go into the fourth quarter and win that game, but these guys aren't going to give us anything. We'll have to earn what we get."
Having Balance Offensively
The stats reflect a positive performance, but it was far from it for Ohio State's offense against Maryland. The good news: the Buckeyes are getting key players back ahead of the Indiana game.https://t.co/36XTKlpqKO pic.twitter.com/eg6KeOpwLS
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) October 13, 2026
Much of the season thus far has revolved around the inconsistent rushing attack and lack of firepower outside of Jeremiah Smith on the outside. Come Saturday, both need to rise to the occasion. Having a more balanced offense has been a discussion point for Day and his staff, but every game plan heading into each week is slightly different. This week needs to be the most balanced and the most efficient performance, however. The Buckeyes had 48 carries to 21 passes last week, and 47 rushes to 27 passes this week, the most lopsided play calling all season. The emphasis has been put on the offense to get the rushing attack going early and be more consistent throughout the entirety of games. Jeremiah Smith will always be there; he's shown that. It's about putting together a complete offensive performance this week.
"Each game we try to have a good balance," Day said. "Some days it works out, and other days it tilts one way or the other based on how things are going. I thought we were able to establish a pretty good run game later in the game, much more than early in the game (vs Maryland). It's two games in a row we were able to finish the game in the 4th quarter the right way ... we'll do what's required to win, and the most important thing is having the ability to do both, which will be required in this game."
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 4 key quotes from Ryan Day ahead of OSU's showdown with Indiana
