Ohio State has moved from Emotional 20-13 win at Penn State. Now, the Buckeyes have turned their attention to Purdue, a 1-7 football team that Ryan Day believes is better than its record reflects.
“Purdue, their record may not say so, but they play good football,” Day said Tuesday. “We have to come in and be physical in this game. We have to continue to build on what happened last week.”
Eighteen hours later, Day held another press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. In the 10-minute media session, Day continued to preview the Buckeyes’ matchup with the Boilermakers, providing updates on the health of Tyleik Williams, Will Kacmarek and more.
On Tigra Chapolla: “He’s coming into his own well, and he’s doing his job. He can keep up with some of the best players we’ve played with this season. … The most important thing for him is consistency. … We think he’s getting better and better every week… We will need him to give his best in November.”
On Brandon Ennis: “Brandon is someone who brings energy every day. … He goes out and works every day. He’s not selfish. … He just goes out and works. … Brandon is a very good player that we’re going to continue to try to get the most out of him.”
On Purdue’s preparation after an emotional win at Penn State: “There’s energy (at practice), a lot of encouragement, a lot of confidence. … You can see that building as we go forward. For our team, there’s confidence. In the physicality that we played with.” .. We will see how this team continues to grow. This is an important week for us to see how we get out of this match and how we appear.
Day said Ohio State didn’t get the return on investment it wanted on special teams. Day said the Buckeyes have put a lot of time and energy into the unit, but it has yet to become a “plus” in 2024. “I’m tired of saying one game away or one block away. We’ve got to start doing that on the field,” Day said. …It wasn’t a big plus for us this year… Overall, there was some great play and great effort, but it should be a plus for us.
Day said Tyleeke Williams’ health improved this week after he left the Penn State game with an injury in the fourth quarter. “It looks like he will be available for the game.”
Day said Will Kacmarek is “in great shape” and is “recovering quickly” in his recovery from injury. The tight end is expected to return to action within two weeks. “He’s doing great. All the reports from the training room and coach Mick (Marotti) are that he’s a little ahead of schedule. That’s encouraging. We’re excited to have him back here in a couple of weeks.”
On blocking TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in the passing game and the running game: “I get excited watching them pass blocks and run blocks. It’s a tone-setter. You can feel it. That’s a big part of the physical play. … Every position has to set the tone at some point.” Early in the game, the more players do, the more confident they are.”
