TL;DR
- Sonny Styles anticipates the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game, aiming to break past losses.
- Styles praises defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's strategic game plan for the matchup.
- Coach Ryan Day emphasizes execution and blocking out distractions for Ohio State.
- Ohio State seeks to prove itself as the top college football team this Saturday.
The Michigan-Ohio State matchup is eagerly anticipated. Linebacker Sonny Styles, speaking to reporters on Wednesday before Saturday's game in Ann Arbor.
Styles, alongside his Ohio State Buckeye teammates, is hoping Saturday won't mirror the outcomes of the past four matchups between the two Big Ten programs.
According to Styles, nothing else matters except getting the job done Saturday (noon ET, Fox).
“This is the best rivalry in college football," Styles said. "You could probably say in all of sports, honestly. To be fair, it’s two great programs. Obviously, we don’t really like each other, but we try to give them respect. They’re a great program. It wouldn’t be a great rivalry if they (weren’t). It’s awesome to be a part of.”
Styles expressed confidence in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's game plan for Saturday, highlighting its focus on assignment-driven football.
“He’s always one step ahead," Styles said of Patricia. "I think he’s always got a plan for what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, and he’s always trying to stay ahead of the offense.”
Ultimately, though, the biggest objective is blocking out all outside distractions, according to coach Ryan Day.
“I say it all the time. It’s about us and our execution. They’re very good, but so are we,” Day said. “We need to make sure that we’re locked in to what we’re doing, executing at a high level, understanding the situations and having great balance in the game.”
This Saturday, Ohio State has an opportunity to break a losing streak and prove itself as college football's top team heading into the postseason.
For now, the countdown continues