It's officially game week for Ohio State as it looks to get some avenge some difficult end of year losses that abruptly ended its season.
Ryan Day, who enters his eighth year as the head coach for the Buckeyes, met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly game-week presser. The Ohio State head coach discussed numerous topics ahead of its season opener against Ball State.
Here's a look at some of the standout notes and quotes he had.
Arthur Smith To Increase Efficiency 'Across The Board'
17 years of NFL experience will take the sidelines on Saturday for Ohio Sate as Arthur Smith takes over as offensive coordinator. With another new OC, how will the offense look? While there are a lot of the same players returning, the Buckeyes will have a bit of a new look despite Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Bo
Jackson back. And that's a good thing. Ryan Day has been very excited to get to gameday to see the first production in action. It won't be a finished product, but the tools are there to once again be a very successful offense.
"All across the board," Said Day when asked about where the difference will be seen. "What he's done to have seven straight running backs of over 1,000 yards, but it's an equal distribution of run and pace ... enhancing all areas and efficiency. Brings confidence. Bringing different things to the table and combining things that we've done to be successful."
Honoring Jim Tressel And Maurice Clarett
There's no doubting the impact both Tressel and Clarett had on the Ohio State program. In Saturday's opener, Tressel will be enshrined into the Ring of Honor in Ohio Stadium's C-Deck while Clarett will be ringing the Victory Bell. Clarett, who ran for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns in his freshman season, helped lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship in 2002 under Tressel. Since then, however, he's had his ups and downs. Battling depression and alcoholism and multiple arrests led to prison time. Since then, however, he's been an advocate for mental health and addiction and even returned as a mentor to multiple players in the Buckeyes program. On the other hand, Tressel's career saw him win five straight Big Ten titles in the mid 2000's and a National Championship. Day is not only excited about the honor for both he and Clarett for the program, but also for the fans and state.
"When you look at the success Jim Tressel had here, the record ... it speaks for itself," Day said. "But to me it's the impact he made on so many people. When you talk to his players, his coaches, the impact he made on the state. When you talk about Maurice, a lot there. You realize how passionate he is about this place in particular ... he's a guy I like to have around the program. I love the messages he gives to our programs. he's an intense guy but cares a lot about Ohio State. for him to come back around, it's meant a lot to him -- we all felt him being the bell ringer the day coach Tressel was recognized, was the right thing to do."
What Ryan Day Wants To See In Game One
It's Ball State, but right around the corner is Texas -- a game that could be a huge early season momentum swinger. So how will Day want to balance getting players early snaps vs flow in the offense and defense? What will be the biggest priority in the opener, a game that Ohio State is favored by over 50 points in? Day wants to set the standard for Ohio State this year and it's the little things that will dictate if this is a positive or negative performance come Sunday morning.
"In this game, the first thing is you want to play clean," Day said. "We can control everything that happens before the snap. Whether it's procedural things, alignments, communication. We have to be great with all the things before the snap. Then we have to play with great fundamentals. Take care of the football, then be smart post-snap. No disciplinary issues, no substation issues. We are looking for a clean operation. That's the first thing in game one you're looking for. Great teams don't beat themselves. We need to establish that part. Establishing a certain identity of playing really hard, tough and playing smart football which is what we want to do here. All those things in game one are important -- it's not really about our opponent."
How Will Legend Bey Be Used?
At 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds,Legend Bey has the ability to be a playmaker with the ball in his hands. There's no doubt about it. But with his skillset, and body, he can also play running back or receiver. It's a similar situation to someone like Curtis Samuel years ago for the Buckeyes. Samuel was brought in as a true Swiss Army knife and despite playing running back early, eventually become interchangeable between the two. He had 97 carries for 771 yards and 74 receptions for 865 yards and a combined 15 touchdowns in his third season. Bey, the No. 9 overall athlete last year, has similar abilities. The question is; how will he be used?
"He has the ability to do both, but he's at running back right now," Day said. "We felt it was important to learn one position instead of do both and not mastering one. He's learning every day to become a (running) back, and there's a lot with that. But we also know when we can get the ball in open space to Legend, good things are going to happen. So it's our job to continue to develop him ... we'll continue to add to his plate as the season goes on."
How Julian Sayin's Improvement Has Been Seen Through Day's Eyes
Julian Sayin enters the season with high aspirations both from a personal standpoint and team aspect. The potential Heisman-winner has the ability to be not just a top quarterback in the country, but one of the best players. Despite still being young, the experience from last year that he brings into this season is invaluable. One year removed from being a full-time starter, Sayin enters year two under center as a more confident leader and player.
"You have to continue to evolve, the more you play, the more experience you have the slower the game is ... every time you take a snap it's an opportunity to put that play in your library of plays to draw upon. He loves football, he loves playing, he's embraced all of it," Day said. "We all know he as aspirations this season to get a lot of hardware and leave a legacy behind. Just by the way he's approaching it everyday, he's really taken a huge step in his leadership ... he's established himself as a leader."
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 5 key takeaways from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day ahead of week one
