Ryan Day’s intensity is as high ever as he’s prepared his team to open the season against No. 1 Texas: “The No. 1 goal is to win the game.” (Press Pros Feature Photos).
Ryan Day knows it’s a long season and knows one game doesn’t make or break a season anymore. But that doesn’t change one bit how badly he wants to beat Texas again.
Columbus, OH – Ryan Day’s emphatic final words to wide-eyed quarterback Julian Sayin before Ohio State’s moment-of-truth against Texas will be direct.
“Just win.”
Day repeated that mindset – that ethos – twice Tuesday. He did leave off the “baby” part because, well, this is Ryan Day’s increasingly hard-nosed culture, not the loose-cannon era of the late swashbuckling Raiders owner, Al Davis, who made “just win, baby” his personal brand.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Ryan Day’s new brand is national champion, and he’s not finished selling it.
The Minster Bank is proud to sponsor the best in area sports coverage on Press Pros Magazine.
He’s a nice guy, but he’s never eased into a fight. And he won’t start now in the most hyped opening showdown anyone can remember: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday at the highest of noons. Therefore, Day intends to coach with nothing to lose and demand his team play with that mindset regardless of age, game experience or the distractions that come with hype. The Buckeyes had 14 players drafted (the Longhorns 12). These are not the same Buckeyes who beat Texas in an epic Cotton Bowl in January.
“They have their own story to write,” Day said. “That’s what’s exciting about college football, is every year you get a different story. And here we go.”
Yes, a loss would not prevent the Buckeyes from winning the Big 10 and/or a second straight national championship. Even if some fans are falling back on that to alleviate the disappointment that would come with a loss, that’s not Day’s fallback plan. Not with any unit on the team. Not even with a quarterback making his first college start.
For Day and offensive coordinator and new play caller Brian Hartline, baby steps are not an option. No easing Sayin into the game, no run it twice as much as they throw it to take the pressure off, no sitting back on defense to see just how good Texas quarterback Arch Manning really is. This is no time to be unaggressive.
Ryan Day loves the story of last year’s team led by players like Jack Sawyer. But he also loves that he has a new team with “their own story to write.”
The long game can wait for the Buckeyes. Saturday is about right now, about every situational moment on the first possession, the middle possessions, the late possessions. If the situation – time and score – calls for Sayin to throw the ball down field, that will be the call.
“We know we have a long season ahead of us, and we know we’re going to get great information coming out of this game,” Day said. “But the No. 1 goal is to win the game … win the game.”
Because, as Day often says, losing is not permitted in his program.
“To say we’re going to play it close to the vest, no, we’re not going to do that,” he said. “To say we’re going to be wide open and chucking it 60 times, no, we’re not going to do that. It’ll be somewhere in between based on what we’re seeing, the success we’re having, and where we are in the game in terms of score.”
In other words, nothing changes because it’s August.
Again, it matters not to Day – and presumably everyone under him – that the loser could still earn a first-round playoff bye. It matters not that the loser could win the national championship.
Julian Sayin’s first regular-season start couldn’t come in a bigger game. Ryan Day’s voice in his head is telling him to focus on only winning.
Day’s words didn’t feel like hyperbole or coach speak. His tone was serious and reminiscent of the playoff run. Ignore the distractions, which will be numerous all week, and put aside expectations.
Day learned how expectations can distract when he was a young quarterback at New Hampshire.
“I wasn’t good in that area because I was like, ‘I’m going to go throw four touchdowns and blow this thing out,’” he said. “And the minute something didn’t go well you can feel yourself not fulfilling the expectation.”
That’s why Day hopes his “just win” mantra is on repeat in Sayin’s head so bad plays don’t distract him from the ultimate goal. There are other new starters on this team, but none in a more important position, or with higher outside expectations, than Sayin.
Sayin’s handling of adversity will depend on how well he remembers his training and who he has around him. His receivers – Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Max Klare – are the best unit in the nation. His offensive line is strong and experienced in the middle and more than capable on the ends. The backfield is new, but Day said there are four or five capable of playing in the game.
Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus proudly sponsors your favorite sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
If Sayin relies on the other 10 and doesn’t try to do too much, he will give the Buckeyes a chance. His competence lies in his ability to make good, on-time decisions that value the ball. Physically he can move quickly in the pocket, and he’s known for his quick release.
Day said the emerging personality he sees in the team is one that’s edgy and competitive, hallmarks of last year’s team. Those traits are obvious in players like captains Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Austin Siereveld and Inniss. How Sayin feeds that team identity remains to be seen. But Day sees an emerging leader who has accepted the coaches’ challenges to command the huddle, command the game plan, and make great decisions.
“It’s about who you are as a person, your character,” Day said. “He has high character, he connects well, he’s found his voice. Then his competency is how well he’s going to play in the game. And if you can do all those things, you can lead. You’re definitely seeing a lot of changes with him and a lot of growth.”
“He has high character, he connects well, he’s found his voice,” Ryan Day said of quarterback Julian Sayin. “Then his competency is how well he’s going to play in the game. And if you can do all those things, you can lead.”
Day often mentioned in the offseason the number of days until the Texas game, which he can now count on one hand. Spring practice and training camp have been more about the opener than ever before. They’ve watched every piece of film over and over. They’ve bounced game-plan ideas around the table again and again.
Day so much wants his team to be perfectly prepared that he put them through a mock game this week in the Horseshoe. He’s done it before but never to this extent.
They practiced entering the stadium, dressing in the locker room and pre-game warmups. They went through the game with coaches in the press box, halftime, and finished the game. They practiced TV timeouts. The sang “Carmen Ohio,” then went to the locker room and sang the fight song.
“That was probably the most detailed,” Day said, “just because of the experience of our team, one, and then, two, what’s coming with this first game.”
A first game that’s more than just a first game. And that’s why Ryan Day, national champion, is hyped to mess with Texas.
Wilson Health proudly sponsors your favorite area sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.