Ryan Day has spent the past month deflecting praise, dismissing outside noise, and drilling one message into his unbeaten Ohio State team that complacency is the enemy.
With No. 1 Ohio State heavily favored to beat struggling UCLA on Saturday night, the Buckeyes’ coach is doubling down on that theme. He doesn't want to see the wheels come off the bus at this point.
Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) has won its conference games by an average of 26.2 points and cruised past Penn State and Purdue in back-to-back weeks. But Day said Wednesday that none of it guarantees anything.
“We’ve done nothing,” Day said via AP. “If we think anything that’s happened up to this point has something to do with this weekend or where we’re going, then we’re dead wrong.”
The Buckeyes host the Bruins (3-6, 3-3), who have lost two straight, including a 56-6 rout at Indiana. But Day is more concerned about maintaining rhythm with a daunting stretch ahead. Rutgers comes next week, followed by "The Game" showdown at Michigan, and a potential Big Ten title matchup with No. 2 Indiana.
Julian Sayin is the nation's leader in completion percentage (80.9%) and star receiver Jeremiah Smith remains locked in amid rising Heisman discussions. “Our guys understand if you win as a team, everybody benefits,” Day said.
The Buckeyes are also preparing for UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who returns to Ohio Stadium after last year’s playoff loss with Tennessee and ranks second among Big Ten quarterbacks with 474 rushing yards.
“He’s physical, he runs hard,” Day said of Iamaleava.
With injuries lingering being a thorn in the side, including wideout Carnell Tate’s uncertain status, Day’s warning remains clear. This is not the time to play with fire. Penn State found out the hard way and it cost James Franklin his job.
Top-ranked Ohio State hosts UCLA on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
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