Buckeyes turn attention to Big Ten play starting with road game at Michigan State

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — After a 3-0 start to the season , now the real chase for success begins for Ohio State. The third-ranked Buckeyes hit the road for the first time, opening up Big Ten play against Michigan State.

“It’s always about us. We say that the opponent doesn’t matter. But all that being said, going on the road against a conference opponent is a big deal,” head coach Ryan Day said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Ohio State is coming off another lopsided victory, defeating Marshall 49-14 , in the final nonconference game of the regular season. Howard accounted for three total touchdowns, and running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for four scores and 253 yards.

Despite another strong performance from Ohio State’s ground game, Day says there’s still plenty of work left to do this season.

“I don’t feel good about anything, that’s just my mindset. That has to be everybody’s mindset. You start to feel good about something and complacency can sneak up on you real fast,” Day said. “I think we’re building confidence in it though.”

The Spartans, who are 3-1, are coming off a 23-19 loss to Boston College over the weekend. Led by first-year head coach Jonathan Smith, Michigan State already has a Big Ten win under its belt after a three-point win at Maryland on Sept. 7.

“[Smith] has already done a good job of establishing an identity there,” Day said. “They have a good young quarterback who can do a lot of different things. He can beat you with his feet. He’s made some really nice throws in some big games for them.”

Here are some other notes from Tuesday’s press conferences.

Tyleik Williams still day-to-day

Senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams missed Saturday’s game against Marshall with an injury and Day says he is still “day-to-day” but will be at practice Tuesday.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Day said.

The defense had to compensate without the Manassas, Virginia native who’s made 99 career tackles, including seven in the season opener against Akron. And Day said it’s an opportunity to build depth at that position.

“I think when you watch the film there was good play,” Day said. “But there needs to be more consistent play.”

Tegra still starts at right guard but rotation is key

Day says Tegra Tshabola will continue to start at right guard but both him and Austin Siereveld will rotate at that position, just as they did against Marshall.

“I think both those guys deserve to play,” Day said. “These guys are team players and they want to win. That’s the number one thing here. It isn’t about statistics or anything like that. There’ll be plenty of snaps to go around.”

The head coach emphasized the need to develop chemistry and depth in practice and during games. He also said having players who aren’t on the field see in-game adjustments happen on video through the sideline tablets have helped.

“It’s good for them especially early on to have a series to catch their breath and get back in there,” Day said.

Knowles frustrated after worst defensive performance so far

Despite the lopsided result, the 14 points scored by the Thundering Herd were the most allowed by Ohio State so far this season. It was the first time a Buckeyes opponent got inside the red zone and scored a touchdown.

So it’s notable that no one on Jim Knowles’ unit was named defensive player of the game.

“You gotta speak truth. While we had some champions, we had no one that we thought really showed a silver bullet of the game performance,” the defensive coordinator said.

Knowles admitted he was a little frustrated on Saturday after the Buckeyes allowed two touchdowns in the first half.

“Our expectation has to be perfection and domination all the time,” Knowles said. “I thought we had a slow start. I thought I could have done a better job.”

Saturday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in East Lansing and will be streamed on Peacock.

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