Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Ohio State Had "One Heck of a Win" Against Wisconsin, Hopes Jaxon Smith-Njigba Can Return to Action Next Week

By Griffin Strom on September 24, 2022 at 11:57p

Wisconsin could never get back into Saturday's Big Ten opener against Ohio State following a 21-point first quarter from the Buckeyes.

The scarlet and gray got off to an explosive start on both sides of the ball and it lifted Ohio State to a blowout win in its first matchup against a conference opponent this season. The Buckeyes finished with 539 total yards of offense by the end of the 52-21 victory.

Following another dominant effort, Buckeye head coach Ryan Day, quarterback C.J. Stroud and offensive guard Donovan Jackson reviewed Ohio State's Week 4 win during their postgame press conference, and you can check out our notes on everything they said about the game below:

Ryan Day

  • On Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown being injured and JK Johnson and Jyaire Brown stepping up at cornerback: "Not having those guys in there and their experience" was concerning for Day, but says the team told Johnson and Jyaire Brown "we believe in you" before their first starts.
  • "TreVeyon and Miyan have both been excellent." Day says Henderson's energy was "off the charts" ahead of tonight's kickoff, and "I could feel it."
  • Day says the mix of run and pass in Ohio State's play calling against Wisconsin is "what we're looking for."
  • On being vocal with an official after a penalty on Jyaire Brown: "I wanted Jyaire to know that I do have his back."
  • On Stroud: "I thought he was really good in a lot of spots. That's a very good defense, and to throw five touchdowns, that's really good." Day says his interception at the end of the first half was his fault, not Stroud's, for not electing to run the ball instead.
  • "You can see what this team's made of" after four impressive performances to start the year. "This is one heck of a win for us." Day says "there's a lot of good to go around in this game."
  • On success in the run game: "I think our offensive line is doing a good job, I think our tight ends are doing a good job." Day says the Buckeye wideouts are also "blocking on the perimeter" and playing tough to help out in that regard.
  • Day says "you're seeing a physicality across the board" on this Buckeye team.
  • Day says OSU "did a great job of gang-tackling" to get Braelon Allen on the ground on Saturday."He's a big, strong, physical back."
  • Day on Smith-Njigba: "We decided to shut him down for this game," but says "we'll get him going on Tuesday" and hopes he'll play next weekend.
  • Day says Miyan Williams is a "change-up from (Henderson)" and that both players' "attitudes have been excellent" at running back.
  • On Cade Stover: "He deserves everything he's getting. He's earned it all. He's a weapon for us." Day says Stover's versatility is "what the NFL's looking for."
  • On Tanner McCalister, Day says "he's played a lot of football. Not for us, but he's played a lot of football." Day says some of the veterans helped calm Johnson and Brown down at corner.

QB C.J. Stroud

  • Stroud says "we built that chemistry with Cade, Emeka, Marvin, everyone really touched the ball."
  • Stroud says the Buckeyes bounced back from adversity early in the first half after he threw an interception.
  • On Williams and Henderson at running back: "Both of them have been great, not only just running the ball, but pass protection as well. ... But it starts up front."
  • Stroud says the Buckeye offensive linemen are "the best players on the team," and made a difference against a big, physical Wisconsin team.
  • On if missing a few throws made him feel like tonight was an off night: "I'm never gonna play perfect, so you can get that out of your head right now." Stroud says "the numbers were alright."
  • "Last year we relied on dropback pass so much." Stroud says he needs to stay engaged when he just hands the ball off.
  • On Stover: "Cade is definitely a Swiss Army knife." Stroud says Stover is "a better person than he is a football player." While he "missed him last week," Stroud says he's happy Stover "got two" touchdowns against the Badgers.
  • "We practice so hard on Tuesday and Wednesday and then clean it up on Thursday." Day says Day and Kevin Wilson called a great game on Saturday.
  • Stroud says "the numbers speak for themselves," but "it's not just me." Stroud says "if people think I'm playing good, cool. If not, cool. They're gonna hate anyways."

OG Donovan Jackson

  • Jackson says the Buckeyes have to "keep stacking weeks" and that he looks forward to getting back to the film so he can improve some things.
  • On the energy from Henderson before the game: "He's stepped into a major leadership role. ... It's really pushed us to go above and beyond on the field."
  • Is it tiring scoring so much early? "It's not tiring at all. It just means we're having success. ... As an offensive line unit, there's always room to grow."

Other players that spoke with reporters after the contest included Miyan Williams, Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover and Tanner McCalister.