Ryan Day says Buckeyes ‘have to be able to win Ugly,’ hopes Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming return next week after Notre Dame win – newsdubai

It wasn’t always pretty as Ohio State took a 10-7 halftime deficit against Notre Dame, but thrashed the Irish in the second half to finish with a double-digit victory at the Horseshoe.

Following the 21-10 win, Ryan Day, Jim Knowles and members of the Buckeye roster stepped up to the microphone to break down the first scarlet and gray win of the 2022 season.

Here’s a breakdown of everything the Buckeyes discussed in the wake of Saturday night’s big win.

Ryan day

• “We just beat the No. 5 team in the country by 11 points. I couldn’t be more proud of the way we played. A lot of people questioned our toughness after last year. Well, you look at the film and be that judge .”

• “If we can keep winning games like that, that’s how we’re going to win games.”

• Day says “it was a game early” and that the loss of Jaxon Smith-Njigba threw the Buckeyes out of rhythm. Day credits Xavier Johnson for stepping up and scoring a touchdown in the second half.

• Day says “those 10 points” were what he was most pleased with during the game, citing Ohio State’s defensive performance.

• “I’m glad we played them at home because this crowd was great.” Day says seeing all the former players and fans at the Shoe energized the Buckeyes.

• Day says “we’re hoping to get” Julian Fleming and JSN back this week.

• Day calls Xavier Johnson “a throwback player” and “it shows you that good things happen to good people who work hard. That’s who Xavier is.”

• “We have to be able to win that we. We will.” Day says Notre Dame is built like many of the teams in the Big Ten are, and the Buckeyes “have to be able to win ugly on offense and stop the run on defense.”

• Day says “it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t how we planned it, but we won.”

• Day says “we wanted to be known as something more than just talented.” Day says TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams “ran hard” and “were determined” at the end of the game. Day says Williams had a “really good preseason” and had 84 “hard-earned yards.”

• Day says the Buckeyes need to be able to run the ball and play defense to accomplish their goals this season, and they showed that tonight.

Tommy Eichenberg, Lathan Ransom, Emeka Egbuka

• Egbuka: “We really had no expectations for the game, the only expectation we had was a win. … We will be something special.”

• Egbuka on Xavier Johnson: “I love X, man. X has really turned another gear.”

• Egbuka says Ohio State has the best WR room in America and everyone who stepped on the field tonight played great.

• Ransom: “We were called soft all last year and we just had to sit there and eat it.” Ransom says the Buckeyes were finally able to show what they’re made of against Notre Dame.

• Egbuka says he had “absolutely no worries” going into the break and “knew we were going to win.”

• Eichenberg says DT Mike Hall played “really hard” on Saturday.

CJ Stroud, Xavier Johnson, Mike Hall

• Stroud says “first game is always weird. It’s a little weird to be out there again, to be honest.” Stroud says “we’re blessed to be 1-0.”

• Stroud says “Xavier Johnson is a dog… He was one of the first people to take me under his wing when I first came to school.”

• Johnson says being a “man of God” is “my strength.” Johnson says “it’s all for the team and glory to God.”

• Hall says “I really just gave it my all” in the season opener. Hall says the Buckeyes tried to stop the run because that’s what Coach Mick has been preaching on and off the field for months.

• Johnson says there were “countless nights” when he thought about “throwing in the towel” and giving up the game of football, but that his faith got him through.

• Stroud says that his “at the end of the day, I feel (my O-line) did a good job up front.” Stroud says the Buckeyes didn’t get into a rhythm passing the ball until the end of the game. However, he said he’s still happy to see Ohio State win over the No. 5 team in the country.

• On Saturday, Stroud says that “I’m willing to put my head on the chopping block for this team to win.”

Jim Knowles

• “What I’m most pleased with is the fact that they never flinched.” Knowles says one or two lost games “didn’t affect them at all.”

• Of Ransom’s performance, Knowles says, “we saw that from him all camp.” Knowles says “Lathan seemed hot” and “looked like he was ready for the game,” which is why he played a lot more than Josh Proctor on Saturday.

• “I think our run defense was solid and it really controlled the line.” Knowles says he’s “really happy” with the Buckeye D-line, linebackers and safeties.

• Knowles says the Buckeye players will celebrate this win, but “I don’t really want to.” Knowle says “our players expected this, I expected this.”

• On the defensive performance in general: “I’m not surprised, we expected it.”

• Knowles says the Buckeyes didn’t do much with the Jack position tonight, although it was effective when they used it.

• “I definitely think they showed toughness.”

• Of Mike Hall, Knowles says “he’s just been totally disruptive during camp, and we’re getting feedback from our offensive linemen, they’re going to tell you how tough he is.”