Latest / Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning / Ryan Day On Ohio State's Offensive Line, Will Howard, Big Changes To Signing Day

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Ryan Day On Ohio State's Offensive Line, Will Howard, Big Changes To Signing Day · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: This is another bonus episode of the Buckeyes Tomorrow Morning Podcast.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: We know there's a lot going on this week and
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: you probably are looking for a little of Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: football content, a little more than usual to get you
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  Speaker 1: through between now and noon on Saturday. So here we
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  Speaker 1: are more content for you going to be hearing from
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day from his press conference
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  Speaker 1: on Tuesday. We already did a show with everything he
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  Speaker 1: had to say about the Ohio State Michigan game, the rivalry,
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  Speaker 1: his emotions heading into that, all that stuff. So this
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  Speaker 1: is all going to be more specifically about Ohio State players.
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  Speaker 1: You hoistate defense, that kind of stuff, the host it
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  Speaker 1: special teams, so all that kind of stuff. You're gonna
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  Speaker 1: be hearing all the stuff Ryan Day had to say
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  Speaker 1: about all of the things other than the Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: Michigan game in particular. You'll here mention the Michigan game
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  Speaker 1: periodically in here, but most of these questions are really
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  Speaker 1: more general questions about the Buckeyes, where things stand right
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  Speaker 1: now and where things could be going. So let's start
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  Speaker 1: with Ohio State quarterback Will Howard. He just became the
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  Speaker 1: first passer in Buckeye history to have six games in
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  Speaker 1: one season and over eighty percent completions, as Will Howard
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  Speaker 1: exceeded Ryan Day's expectations this year.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, our expectation is to win, to you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think when you start worrying about other things like
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  Speaker 2: completions or stats, you can start to go down a
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  Speaker 2: bad road. I've said this before. You know, we've had
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  Speaker 2: Heisman Trophy finalists, We've had you know, number one defense
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  Speaker 2: in the country, whatever it might be, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're more more focused on winning than anything else. You
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  Speaker 2: can see. You know, if we had made a decision
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  Speaker 2: to play more snaps and go up tempo and do
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  Speaker 2: different things, and maybe his numbers would be different than
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  Speaker 2: they are right now. Maybe you know, Quinn, Sean and
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  Speaker 2: Trevion would be different in terms of their stats, and
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  Speaker 2: same thing with the receivers. But decisions are made to
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  Speaker 2: reach our goals and you know, we expect to win
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  Speaker 2: and that's that's it. But you know we're going to
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  Speaker 2: need him to play well. He's got to be a
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  Speaker 2: great decision maker. He's got to go get his first
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  Speaker 2: pair of gold pants.
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  Speaker 1: The offensive line is going to be a big story
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  Speaker 1: for basically the rest of the season. It's been a
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  Speaker 1: big worry for most of the season already. The two
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  Speaker 1: guys in the spotlight right now, center Carson Hinsman, left
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  Speaker 1: guard Austin Ciraveld. What has Brian Day seen from Carson
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  Speaker 1: to Hinsman and Austin Siriveld that makes him think they're
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  Speaker 1: ready for what's ahead.
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  Speaker 2: You just go off what you see in practice on
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  Speaker 2: the film. Two guys that you know now are getting
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  Speaker 2: more and more reps under their belt. Obviously Carson has
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  Speaker 2: from last year, but now Austin as well. I think
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  Speaker 2: they both had a good week of practice last week
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  Speaker 2: and I thought they had great energy out there. I
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  Speaker 2: thought they gave great effort. You know, when they did miss,
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  Speaker 2: they they swung and missed pretty hard. And it'll be
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  Speaker 2: that way this week. We'll get a big challenge with
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  Speaker 2: the two inside guys in the front that they have,
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  Speaker 2: but they'll be up for it. We'll have a good plan.
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  Speaker 1: College football stats are going to fluctuate a little bit
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  Speaker 1: from year to year, and one of the things that's
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  Speaker 1: changed this year is the Buckys third down efficiency down
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  Speaker 1: a little bit. They're not quite as efficient on third
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  Speaker 1: down as they have been in the past, but they're
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  Speaker 1: up a little better this year on fourth downs than
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  Speaker 1: they were last year. So are those two things related?
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  Speaker 1: Did did they fit together in some way? And is
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  Speaker 1: it okay to be a little down in one if
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  Speaker 1: you're therefore up in the other.
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  Speaker 2: No, we want to be great on third down. I
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  Speaker 2: think third and fourth down are very similar. So at
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  Speaker 2: the end of the day we'll or at the end
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  Speaker 2: of the game, we'll kind of put those together and go,
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  Speaker 2: you know, combine those numbers and statistics. But yeah, we
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  Speaker 2: want to convert on third down, and the conversion on
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  Speaker 2: third down is going to be critical in this game.
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  Speaker 2: We know the situations play a big part of this game,
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  Speaker 2: always has, so we need to be efficient on third down,
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  Speaker 2: and a big part of that is what you're doing
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  Speaker 2: on first down. If you get yourself into third, medium,
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  Speaker 2: third manageable short yardage, it certainly the percentages go much
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  Speaker 2: higher than when you're in third and long, and we
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  Speaker 2: were in a few of those the other day.
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  Speaker 1: We have seen Ohio State freshmen, especially Ohio State freshman
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  Speaker 1: wide receivers, step up and take on big roles towards
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  Speaker 1: the end of the season a number of times in
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  Speaker 1: recent years. Chris Lave twenty eighteen, Garrett Wilson in twenty nineteen. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Smith, you took on a bigger role from day one,
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  Speaker 1: so that was a little different. But when you're evaluating
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  Speaker 1: a freshman and trying to figure out is this guy
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  Speaker 1: ready to take on a bigger role with the team,
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  Speaker 1: how do you know whether they're ready or not?
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  Speaker 2: You know, you don't know until they're in it. But again,
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  Speaker 2: you just go back to your training and what you
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  Speaker 2: see in practice every day, and you know those that's
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  Speaker 2: two examples of guys who you know stepped up in
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  Speaker 2: this moment, and that's what's on the table in a
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  Speaker 2: game like this. So again, you know guys who are
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  Speaker 2: playing this for the first time, Like you know, you
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  Speaker 2: don't know until you've been in it. But ultimately, you
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  Speaker 2: just need to do your job at a high level
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  Speaker 2: and play with great emotion and passion, and every play
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  Speaker 2: is just amplified, every inch is amplified, every yard is
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  Speaker 2: amplified as just the way it goes. But ultimately still football,
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  Speaker 2: and you just got to go play the same way
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  Speaker 2: you've played and trust your training. That's that's what it
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  Speaker 2: comes down to. So again that goes back to diving
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  Speaker 2: into a great week of preparation, getting on the film,
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  Speaker 2: making sure you're prepared.
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  Speaker 1: It was maybe a little less than a month ago
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  Speaker 1: that we were talking about the Ohio State Special teams
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  Speaker 1: and how boy they've really just didn't do a lot.
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  Speaker 1: They had made a lot of plays. Since then, Oh boy,
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  Speaker 1: they have really ramped things up over the last three weeks.
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  Speaker 1: Blocked a punt, had a couple other punts where they
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  Speaker 1: had bad snaps. One of that led to a block,
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  Speaker 1: one of those led to a tackle Caleb Downs. We
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  Speaker 1: turned to punt for a touchdown for the first time
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  Speaker 1: in ten years and one day for the Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: buck Eyes. Oh yes, Special teams now definitely making their
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  Speaker 1: bark in a positive way on this year's team. So
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  Speaker 1: what has changed and is there potentially more for the
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  Speaker 1: special teams to unlock in the area of the kick return?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there is. You know, we'll take that
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  Speaker 2: on a week to week basis. I think the first
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  Speaker 2: thing is, you know, we we did make some changes
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  Speaker 2: personnel wise, which was great, but I also think we
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  Speaker 2: just kept cracking the rock. We just kept swinging at
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  Speaker 2: it and stayed with it. Guys believed in it again,
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  Speaker 2: believed in the process because there were some opportunities. It
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  Speaker 2: happens a lot on special teams. I'm sure you heard
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  Speaker 2: coaches talk about a one block away or two blocks away,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, we weren't on the last couple of games,
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  Speaker 2: and we were there, you know, and you're playing the
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  Speaker 2: opponent that you're playing, but you're also putting on film
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  Speaker 2: for your next opponent what's going on, and so you know,
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  Speaker 2: we have our best players on special teams. I think
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  Speaker 2: they're believing right now that they can make a difference.
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  Speaker 2: We're going to need to do that and be a
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  Speaker 2: plus in this game as well.
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  Speaker 1: There's been a lot of changes on the Ohiostate defense
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  Speaker 1: since the loss at Oregon, and it took a little
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  Speaker 1: while for some of that to show up, Like guy
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  Speaker 1: struggled for a little while to shut down the Nebraska
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  Speaker 1: corn Huskers. So starting with the fourth quarter of that
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  Speaker 1: Nebraska game, though, it felt like maybe the switch started
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  Speaker 1: to flip. And have they just sort of continuously been
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  Speaker 1: getting better since that moment, since the start of the
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  Speaker 1: fourth quarter against Nebraska.
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  Speaker 2: And if so, how I don't know about that. I
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  Speaker 2: just think that you know, we we know what we
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  Speaker 2: need to do. And our guys, you know, are trying
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  Speaker 2: to win every single play, that's it, and trying to
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  Speaker 2: get better with everything every single play. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: I think the staff and the players are working together
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  Speaker 2: to put together a great plan for this one right here,
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  Speaker 2: and then we had to go put it on the
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  Speaker 2: field this week, figure out what fits, and then go
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  Speaker 2: get it. But I think that every week we've talked
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  Speaker 2: about this before. You have to upgrade. You got to
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  Speaker 2: get better a week after week and figure out, you know,
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  Speaker 2: what are the things things that have you know, done
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  Speaker 2: gone well, get them better, what are the things that
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  Speaker 2: haven't gone well, and then obviously get those fixed. And
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  Speaker 2: I think that's just a process of during a season,
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  Speaker 2: and you know, when something doesn't go well, you got
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  Speaker 2: to address it and you got to have honest conversation
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  Speaker 2: and address those things. So even coming out of this
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  Speaker 2: past game, you know, there was a lot of things
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  Speaker 2: that we had to get fixed and addressed, and we'll
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  Speaker 2: continue to do that this week. But I do think
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  Speaker 2: our defense is playing with confidence, and they'll have to
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  Speaker 2: start right from the jump on these guys.
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  Speaker 1: One area where it feels like you've seen a big
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  Speaker 1: change for the buck Eyes is in the pass rush.
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  Speaker 1: Has Ryan Day seen a big impress improvement for the
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  Speaker 1: pass rush over that same span of time.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we just look at the production and the numbers,
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  Speaker 2: but that doesn't mean anything for this game. Again, we've
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  Speaker 2: said this before, Nothing that you've done in the past
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  Speaker 2: has anything to do with what's going on moving forward.
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  Speaker 2: You've got to go do it this week and put
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  Speaker 2: it back on the field because everything you've been doing
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  Speaker 2: up to this point should lead you to have confidence
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  Speaker 2: in what you're doing, but it doesn't necessarily mean you've
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  Speaker 2: got to go do it. You got to go do it.
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  Speaker 1: One player who seems like he's taking on a much
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  Speaker 1: bigger role as the season goes along is tight end
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  Speaker 1: Jelanie Thurman. Now, is he now at the point where
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  Speaker 1: he's good to go and do absolutely whatever they need
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  Speaker 1: him to do? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we need Jelani to give us real snaps and
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  Speaker 2: it was good to see him get that touchdown. That
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  Speaker 2: was big. He's made some big blocks for us this year,
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  Speaker 2: So you just, you know, never knowing games like this
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  Speaker 2: when your number is going to get called in a
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  Speaker 2: big moment, and you know we've seen that before in
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  Speaker 2: years past, so you know, no matter who it is.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone's got to step up their game, and the tight
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  Speaker 2: ends will have a big part of this game as well.
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  Speaker 1: One thing that has really kind of slid under the
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  Speaker 1: radar with all the other stuff to talk about over
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  Speaker 1: the last few weeks is that National Signing Day Early
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  Speaker 1: Signing Day, it's up a couple weeks earlier than it
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  Speaker 1: used to be. It is actually next week December fourth.
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  Speaker 1: So how does that change the plan for Ryan Day
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  Speaker 1: and the Buckeyes when it comes to guys changing their minds,
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  Speaker 1: maybe flipping, try to change other guys' minds, land some commitments,
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  Speaker 1: and even in season evaluation. How does that up, slit, up,
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  Speaker 1: slid timeline change all that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say it's we say this all the time,
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  Speaker 2: but it's just changing so much. And this is probably
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  Speaker 2: as unstable as it's ever been in recruiting. And I
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  Speaker 2: think it's fair to say that there's just so much
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  Speaker 2: going on, there's so many variables at place and based
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  Speaker 2: on when signing day is right now, I mean, it's
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  Speaker 2: just there's no good answer. And I get it. I
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  Speaker 2: understand why the decisions have been made to do it
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  Speaker 2: right now, but yeah, I mean, we're so focused right
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  Speaker 2: now on winning this game. I gets hard to think
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  Speaker 2: about anything else or take any time right now to
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  Speaker 2: do anything other than focus on the game. But that
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  Speaker 2: being said, you still have to recruit. You still have
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  Speaker 2: to make sure you're getting yourself ready for the recruiting
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  Speaker 2: class and for signing day. So yeah, there's a lot
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  Speaker 2: that goes with it, you know. And then you have
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  Speaker 2: the portal that's opening up, so there's going to be
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  Speaker 2: a lot of you know, decisions that have to be
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  Speaker 2: made on the recruiting side, also on our side on
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  Speaker 2: how we're going to put this roster together over the
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  Speaker 2: next month. So I feel really good about the class
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  Speaker 2: that's committed to us and where we're headed on signing day.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I'm not necessarily sure if it's always going
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  Speaker 2: to look the same moving forward in terms of you know, remember,
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  Speaker 2: you know, signing day was like okay, the number one,
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  Speaker 2: the number two, the number three recruiting class in the country,
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  Speaker 2: and all these different rankings and everything like that. Well,
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  Speaker 2: now with the portal retention when it comes to roster management,
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  Speaker 2: I just think that that's very different than it used
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  Speaker 2: to be. And we got to do what's best for
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  Speaker 2: Ohio State and make sure our roster is right for
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  Speaker 2: next year.
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  Speaker 1: So okay, signing day moved up a couple of weeks
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  Speaker 1: this year because the old signing day would have aligned
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  Speaker 1: with the first round of college football playoffs. You know,
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  Speaker 1: that's not really going to work for a lot of people,
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  Speaker 1: so you move it up two weeks this year. Is
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  Speaker 1: that the right spot Where would Ryan Day like early
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  Speaker 1: signing day to fall.
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  Speaker 2: Well? I was part of those conversations and trying to
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  Speaker 2: move it up, you know, as much as we possibly could.
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  Speaker 2: I think the conversation there from the high school you know,
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  Speaker 2: feedback from the high school coaches was that you know,
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  Speaker 2: maybe now players would start opting out because they signed early.
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  Speaker 2: But I know this, you know, for us as coaches
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  Speaker 2: right now, to be thinking about all these things is
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  Speaker 2: just it's crazy. So we've got to come up with
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: a solution so that it's not as chaotic right now
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: this time here, all.
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  Speaker 1: Right, that'll do it for this episode. We will have
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: much more coverage coming for you throughout the week from
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: the Buckeyes, from the Wolverines, from our team at Buckeyehuddle
• 11:16
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• 11:20
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• 11:23
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  Speaker 1: Thank you guys all for joining us. We'll be back
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: with more later on