BUCKEYES CHAT WITH THE MEDIA AHEAD OF MATCHUP AGAINST PENN STATE
10/27/2022 2:25:22 PM | Football
Ohio State players met with the media after practice to discuss team progress as they prepare to head to Happy Valley to face Penn State on Saturday.
On preparing to play against Penn State this weekend:
“We’ve got to do our part on making sure that we just run clean and push routes.”
“We approach every week the same. We know that this is more of a matchup game where we’re playing a team that’s equally as good as us.”
“We’re always looking forward to playing any given Saturday because we’re blessed to be out there.”
On preparing to play against Penn State this weekend:
“We try to approach every week like it’s the National Championship game, so we’re still going to prepare the same way.”
“They’re tough, they’re long, and they’ve got a lot of good athletes up there, but we’re excited for what we’ve got here… We’re really excited to get up there and play those guys.”
On Jim Knowles’ defensive style:
“We’re just on attack, trying to play offense on defense. Everything is right now. He wants to take out the thinking of it and have everyone just do their job.”
On dealing with a challenging defensive scheme:
“What Coach Knowles tries to do is be the best teacher he can be. When we’re in practice, we’re asking him questions and he’s questioning us on everything trying to make sure we know what to do in any type of situation.”
On the differences in position meetings this season:
“The meeting room is more leadership. We have some young guys but they have some playing time under their belt, and you can see it. Now, when every man in the room knows what they’re supposed to be doing, players are able to coach players and see what they’re not seeing and what they’re missing.”
On facing Penn State:
“I’m trying to take it as a regular game, which it is. It’s just another game for us. We have to go in prepared and I have to go in prepared and be myself. We have to be the Buckeyes and be the team that we’re striving to be. We have to play our best game of the season.”
On emphasizing the run game in practice:
“The running game is a point of emphasis every week. We don’t just turn it off week after week. This is another week, another way to run the ball in an effective way, so we’re just trying to get back to what we did before.”
On the matchup with Penn State:
“If you psych yourself up, you turn it into something it isn’t. They’re a very talented team and a very aggressive team, but at the end of the day you just have to play Ohio State football.”
