Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says There's a New "Bounce" in Buckeyes' Locker Room After Win Over Tennessee, Dan Lanning Praises Buckeyes' Talent and Coaching Staff

Big wins often bring a big boost of energy to teams, and Ohio State is coming off a pretty big win on Saturday.

The Buckeyes blasted Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday, setting up a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl for the CFP quarterfinals on Jan. 1. Coming off that victory, Ryan Day said in a press conference Monday there's a new "bounce" in his team's locker room, a confidence in his players' stride.

Day also praised the play of Luke Montgomery and Ohio State's interior offensive line, though the Buckeyes will continue evaluating what that rotation will look like going forward. Oregon coach Dan Lanning met with the media after Day and praised the Buckeyes ahead of the rematch, saying they might be the most talented team in college football.

Ryan Day

In opening, Day called the Rose Bowl one of the best venues in college football. "The tradition of the Rose Bowl in the Big Ten obviously is well documented and we understand that. ... Every time we go it's a great experience. Certainly have a great opponent in Oregon, excited for the rematch."

On Will Howard: "Our challenge to Will going into the last game was that he had to be the best leader on the field, and he was. ... When the play caller and the quarterback are on the same page ... that means he's got a great grasp on what we're trying to get done. ... Will, I know, is excited to have an opportunity to play Oregon again."

On how new gap schemes helped open the run game: "We felt going into the game that that was the right thing to do. ... We certainly got good double-teams on the inside guys and our pullers did well ... and our running backs ran well, ran through contact. ... But we're always looking for balance, and we found that on Saturday, but now we've gotta build on it."

Day that Jeremiah Smith's most overlooked quality is his size. "When you get up on him, you realize how big he is and how big he plays. ... I think Brian (Hartline) has done a great job again with our receivers. ... Creating separation and making plays is what's important, and our receivers have done that this year, and Jeremiah has certainly done that."

On Chip Kelly: "I think that he's now, a full season in, he's got an understanding of who we are personnel-wise, in the Big Ten, what that looked like. ... He's got an entire understanding of football, different football. ... The number one job of the coordinator is put the offense in the best position to be successful. ... I feel like we had a good balance this past game."

Balancing the emotions of the playoff is about focusing on preparation and execution, Day said. "Is it super exciting? I guess not. But that's what it is. ... I think both teams are in different places than when we played last time."

On Oregon's offense and the test it will provide the Buckeyes' defense, which was re-engineered after its loss to the Ducks earlier this season: "They do a great job on offense, throwing the ball, running the ball. ... It's a challenge, we've seen that live and in color. We've made adjustments coming off of that game and we've worked hard to make sure we're putting our guys in the best position to be successful. ... But our defense is playing with great confidence. ... They're continuing that build from after we played these guys the first time."

On whether the Buckeyes will go off the first Oregon game for their game plan or just view the back half of the season: "A little bit of both. ... There's been a lot of football played since then. I feel like we've evolved, they've evolved. ... Ultimately, we want to make sure we're putting together a great game plan so our guys can play fast."

Day said Ohio State will want to look over its "overrage" plays from the first time it faced Oregon, calls that it didn't use. But there will also be new concepts as both the Buckeyes' defense and Ducks' offense has evolved.

On the modern era of recruiting: "Our foundation is recruiting high school players and then developing them and maintaining them. ... The majority of our team are guys that decided to come back. ... All things that are taken into consideration."

On Luke Montgomery and the interior of the offensive line: "I thought that they all played well. I felt like Justin (Frye) working the rotation in the way they did allowed them to play fast. ... On those 30 or 31 plays, I thought he did a really nice job. ... I could feel his presence out there. Austin played really well, Tegra had some really good plays. ... They'll need to play well. (The Ducks) have very good players inside, up front."

Day added that Ohio State will continue evaluating its best offensive line game plan going forward.

On the energy of the team and whether it can use the Tennssee win as a "springboard:" "You can feel the confidence in the locker room. ... Have to make some adjustments like we always do ... but there was just a general bounce and confidence coming off the game, having a playoff win under our belt."

Dan Lanning

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