COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — No. 4 Ohio State hits the road for week six to take on Purdue. Coach Ryan Day discussed the game, which is scheduled to kick off at noon Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana, will be streamed on Peacock.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 37-17 win over Maryland in which the defense dominated, forcing two turnovers and two turnover on downs. Ohio State’s defense ranks third in the country in fewest points allowed per game (10.2).
Quarterback Kyle McCord started slow but finished strong, completing 19 of 29 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s playing with an injured ankle, couldn’t be stopped by the Terrapins, making eight catches for 163 yards and one score. Meanwhile, OSU’s other leading receiver, Emeka Egbuka, left the game early with a lower body injury. Day did not have an update on Egbuka’s status for Saturday but added ‘it’s not a long-term issue.’
You can watch Day’s press conference in the video player below.
Ohio State’s rushing game left plenty to be desired after gaining 62 yards for an average of 1.9 yards per carry. Day said he would have to review the game film against Maryland to see why the Buckeyes struggled and how they can turn it around before playing Penn State in less than two weeks.
The Buckeyes rank 96th in the country in rush yards per game. Day said Ohio State has the personnel and schemes to be a good running team but they need to execute plays better.
“I think we have the right guys we just have to coach them better,” Day said. “Schematically you’re trying to figure out is what you’re doing fit the guys you have: your backs, the offensive line . . . we’re looking at all those things trying to find the right mixture for our guys.”
Running back TreVeyon Henderson was kept out of the game against Maryland for ‘precautionary reasons.’ Day said the junior will be available for the game at Purdue.
The win over Maryland was the 50th of Day’s career. He’s the second-fastest Ohio State coach to reach 50 wins doing so in 56 games, second only to Urban Meyer’s 54 games.