Top-ranked Ohio State looks to keep rolling through the Big Ten schedule on Saturday night against Minnesota, but Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day expects a physical game from the Golden Gophers.
“Well, they historically have played very, very physical against the run and continue to do that,” Day told reporters on Monday. “I thought Rutgers had a really good game plan going in. But they’re well coached and play really, really hard and have good players.”
Minnesota edged Rutgers 31-28 to improve to 3-1 for the season on Sept. 29, and Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck has enjoyed success in Big Ten play over the years. Fleck has an overall record of 61-40 with the Golden Gophers, a program that has won seven-straight bowl games and has gone every year since 2017 except the COVID year of 2020.
“I respect P.J. Fleck as much as anybody in the country and their coaching staff and how hard they play,” Day added. And so it’ll be a challenge. You don’t play Minnesota and think you’re just going to run the ball without a lot of hard work.”
Buckeyes Blocker to Face Old Team
Ohio State offensive tackle Phillip Daniels will get to go up against his former team on Saturday. A Cincinnati native, Daniels transferred to Ohio State in 2024 after his time with the Golden Gophers.
“He’s made great progress,” Day said of Daniles. “And when you come into a program like this, he’s an Ohio player who has a lot of pride in the state. So he knows what it means to be a Buckeye.”
“But you don’t just walk into the program and think you’re going to get on the field. He’s earned his spot. And he is a tough guy. He plays tough,” Day added. “He’s right on the edge of it sometimes, which, as a coach, is great until a flag comes out. Then it’s not great. But we love the intensity. We love the passion. We love how hard he plays.”
“He gives us an edge. He’s continually working to get better technically in everything that he’s doing. And he has a higher ceiling even than he’s at right now,” Day continued. “So he’s got to come in here and have a great week of practice. And this will be a big week for him, playing against his old team, for sure. But I think the guys appreciate what he brings every day. He brings a work ethic and a toughness to work every day. And we can build off of that.”
Ohio State Ready For a Different Kind of Noise
Ohio State is fresh off a 24-6 win at Washington on Sept. 27 on the road, but the Buckeyes are back home in the Horseshoe for this Saturday. Day thought his team came prepared for the noise of the Huskies’ fan base.
“Well, we spent a long time during those two weeks cranking up the music and give our facilities people a lot of credit,” Day said. “We had monster speakers out there and made it really loud and hard to communicate. And it was a little frustrating at times with the scout team, but it was worth it because in the preparation, we were able to handle the chaos of it.”
“So I thought that was good. But again, as a coach, you’re always thinking about the things we’ve got to get better at. But I will say that I thought our guys handled the environment well,” Day added.