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COLUMBUS -- It was not loud or angry but Ryan Day challenged Ohio State’s running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen and basically the whole team at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
It was just a coach doing his job.
"We’re trying to maximize everybody in the building, coaches and players included. I think one of the things for a good coach is you communicate. You communicate exactly what the expectations are," Day said.
"If somebody’s not living up to an expectation or it’s not in line with what you’re seeing you need to let them know. Or if things are going well you need to let them know to continue what they’re doing. It’s a coach’s job to challenge everybody. Good coaches solve the problems and get them fixed. When you don’t get them fixed, that’s frustrating," he said.
Ohio State (2-1) will play Illinois (2-1) Saturday at noon at Ohio Stadium in its first Big Ten game of the football season.
OSU is coming off a 59-3 win over Kent State last Saturday but Day still found things to challenge the Buckeyes about in that game, starting with a running game that converted on only 1 of 8 third down opportunities and had limited success in producing explosive plays.
"When it comes to the second level in the first two games it was very good but not this past game. I thought we had some really good big holes in the game and those should have been explosive plays and they weren’t. Those guys know that. They’re challenged and they own it," Day said.
Ohio State’s longest running play against Kent State was a 17-yard carry by Bo Jackson. It averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
"On offense we’re always looking for a balance of run and pass. It’s been inconsistent. There have been times when it has looked very good and times when it has struggled. We’ve gotten stalled because we haven’t been able to finish drives in the red zone," Day said.
OSU also has been looking for more from its defensive line. Day pointed to two veteran players, junior Eddrick Houston, and senior Jason Moore, as potential leaders on the interior of the defensive line.
"When you look inside you have guys like Eddrick and Jason Moore who have multiple years in the program and are starting to come into their own a little bit. These are guys we’re going to have to count on. It isn’t about just flashing, it’s consistent play over an extended period of time," Day said. "Eddrick has the ability. This would be a great opportunity for him to step up in conference play and give us the reps (repetitions) we need inside.
"He is a player who has power, strength and the ability to hold the point of attack at a high level."