Ohio State coach Ryan Day still has scars from last year’s loss to the Michigan Wolverinesand this motivated the Buckeyes all season to make sure this season doesn’t end the same way.
“I think you’re shaped by everything that’s happened in your past, and we have scars and that’s kept us going all offseason,” Day said. “So we’ve worked very hard to get to this moment here, and now it’s time to go prepare as best we can and that’s what we’re going to focus on physically, mentally and emotionally to go and play the game the next day. toughest we’ve ever played. And we’ll see where we are on Saturday.”
The No. 2 Buckeyes (11-0) host the No. 3 Michigan (11-0) on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Big Ten Championship Game and likely the College Football Playoff. It’s the 12th time the rivals have both found themselves in the top 5.
The added emotion of this game can sometimes cause unnecessary distractions and disrupt preparation, but Day said his team was locked in and focused, in part because of how the Buckeyes felt after the season loss. last.
“I think you start talking about some of these other things, you can get distracted by what’s most important right now,” Day said Tuesday. “I think when you’re playing an emotional game and a big game like this, the easiest thing to do is say, ‘Let’s come to Saturday. Just let me go to the game. But we have to use every minute.
“We have this countdown in our building, and every time a minute goes off, it’s one less minute to get you ready for the game. So let’s use every minute we have to get ready to leave.”
The countdown is slowly ticking to Saturday and the whole season is on the line for both programs.
It was reported that Day privately said his team would snag 100 points from Michigan. Following the Wolverines’ victory last season, then-offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said the Buckeyes were “a finesse team, not a tough team.”
“I really don’t care what anyone outside of this program says about our tenacity,” Buckeyes said. Cade shorts said Tuesday. “We know what we have.”
Day and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, however, has not provided any scoreboard materials this season.
Harbaugh said there was no hate and his team was just grateful to be in this position. Day said there will naturally be friction, but he and his team are just focused on what happens on the pitch and find ways to stay unbeaten.
“I’m not going to talk about it now,” Day said. “Maybe there’s another time to talk about this. But like I said, there are certain things you listen to, there are certain things you don’t listen to. And whenever you’re in a high profile game with a lot going on, there’s a lot being said.
“But there is a time and a place to talk about it, and it’s not now.”
The Buckeyes are hoping the time and place will be after their win on Saturday, so they don’t have to feel like another loss next year.
“Our guys know they felt the pain last year and let it simmer,” Day said. “And we’ve had to chew on that for a whole year, and that’s a long time. So we’ll see the corrections we’ve made, we’ll see the growth we’ve made and find out who we are on Saturday.”