Postgame Quotes vs. Notre Dame
9/16/2022 10:43:45 AM | Football
Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10
September 3, 2022
Ohio Stadium — 106,594
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day
On the win over Notre Dame …
“We just beat the No. 5 team in the country by 11 points. When you really look at the last four teams we played, I think all four teams were in the top ten. This is a top five team. It’s not easy to do. It’s hard. And we just beat the No. 5 in the country by 11 points. I couldn’t be any prouder of our team in the way that our team played, especially in the fourth quarter. A lot of people questioned their toughness going into the offseason. Well, you have to watch the film and you have to make your decision on if you thought that team was tough tonight. For us to win the way we did, I couldn’t be any prouder. We lost Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) early on and it was a struggle. Their game plan was to kind of hold on to the ball and control the game, so there wasn’t as many possessions. We missed on a few things early and got off schedule, but to be able to get the running game going in that last quarter says a lot about our team. And C.J. Stroud was right out in front of that. He made some huge plays down the stretch. And I think you can see who C.J. wants to be. It isn’t that he wants to go out there and have all these yards and everything. That’s not important to him. The important thing is winning. He’s a winner. But the story of the night is the defense. To turn around after what’s been said about them in the offseason, questioning their toughness, and to play the way they did against the No. 5 team in the country, I’m proud of our guys. If we can continue to win games like that, then that’s how we’ll win games. And when you can win in different ways, it says a lot about your team as well and I think this game is going to pay dividends down the road.”
On the early offensive performance …
“Yeah, it was a struggle early on. They (Notre Dame) are a good defense. They have a lot of seniors. When we lost Jaxon (Smith-Njigba), we got a little bit out of rhythm. Didn’t convert on third down. Got a little off schedule with a couple of things, a couple of penalties that we have to clean up. But, you know, early games were a little bit clunky. And again, losing Jaxon kind of threw us off a little bit and we had to respond.”
On Xavier Johnson’s performance …
“How about Xavier Johnson? Showing up in a big way and making that catch. Then coming back the next play, running down on kickoff and making a tackle inside the 20 yard line. And, again, we’re playing a top five team in the country. They’re very good team and I have a lot of respect for them.”
On C.J. Stroud’s relationship with the receivers …
“Certainly C.J. and Jaxon have a great rapport and chemistry. He and Emeka (Egbuka), and then Marvin (Harrison Jr.) as well. We also didn’t have Julian (Fleming) tonight who was a game-time decision. We couldn’t quite get him going. So we were down some guys. I thought the tight ends played well. We saw Cade (Stover) step in there. The running backs played hard and the offensive line was strong.”
On the most impressive part of the defense’s effort …
“The 10 points. For them to stop Notre Dame and only allow 10 points. I think it was the front. Guys running to the ball. I think you just saw what I was talking about leading into the game. Just the energy, running to the ball, being decisive and playing fast. If they gave up a big play, it wasn’t a panic. I thought we played tough. I thought the energy was off the charts on defense tonight. I’m proud of our guys. Jim (Knowles) called a great game, the whole defensive staff did, but it was our players. The players play, and they have something to prove. We all have something to prove. And I think they proved they can be tough.”
On the energy in The Shoe …
“This crowd was awesome. To see the support of Buckeye Nation leading up to this game, all the former players that came back, was tremendous. To see all the people come to this game with such energy and be here early, I mean the whole Shoe was packed and we were just coming out for warmups. It says so much for our kids and we can’t thank Buckeye Nation and the fans and appreciate all the people that came to this game enough. It meant a lot to us.”
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles
On the first play of the game …
“Great, built a lot of confidence. We talk about explosive plays, and that was one of them. What can we say? They’re going to happen, and the ball was contested well.”
On defensive toughness …
“I thought they definitely displayed toughness and that’s physical and mental control of the line of scrimmage. You control the running game, being able to perform under duress to fit the different runs. That’s all a part of confidence, and Coach Day wants everybody to see that; whatever it takes to get our offense going, the defense is going to be tough and they’re going to be there.”
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud
On the offensive line …
“I think bottom line they did really well with pass protection. I mean, sometimes it happens. They see through and maybe I’ve got to draw back a little farther – give them a little room so I can see the field a little better. But at the end of the day, I feel like they did a great job tonight.”
On the scrambling he had to do in the game …
“I’ve been doing that my whole life. I don’t really think that there’s anything new for me. I’m willing to put my head on the chopping board to get a win for this team because it means so much to everybody. So it means so much to me just to get a win.”
Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka
On his performance tonight …
“We really had no expectations going into the game. The only expectation was a win, and we were able to do that tonight. It’s not always pretty, but certainly going forward we’re going to build on this. We’re going to be something special.”
On his touchdown …
“[The pass] was just a perfect ball. I can’t really ask for much more from C.J. Everyone knows how great of a quarterback he is. Tonight, he was able to deliver it on my outside shoulder and by the time I turned out no one was there.”
On Xavier Johnson’s performance …
“We’ve been seeing him perform all fall camp and all last spring. Xavier has really turned another gear. Overall, it’s been hard for him just moving position rooms all the time, but he finally got comfortable with the receivers. You guys saw what he was able to do tonight. He had a great game.”
On Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s injury …
“I think you know, Jaxon is a phenomenal player and it definitely helped having him. I feel we have the best wide receiver room in America. Anyone you call on is going to be able to execute plays.”
Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall
On OSU’s second half defense plan …
“Just to do exactly what we did in the first half trying to stop the run. That’s become what we always preach in the weight room and on and off the field; to stop the run.”
Ohio State wide receiver Xavier Johnson
On his performance …
“I came in and I was confident in myself and was expecting to shock the world. As a freshman, everybody does; they come in with high hopes and expectations. There were countless nights where I thought about throwing in the towel, there were nights where I felt like I had my foot in the door; in the moment, it was all I could think about.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
On the Ohio State team …
“They’ve got a really good football team.”
“We knew we weren’t going to try and outscore them.”
On Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud …
“Hats off to him; there’s a reason he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He’s a heck of a football player.”
On the Ohio State offense …
“I think they had four big plays, four big rushing plays in the fourth quarter, and that is a heartbreaker for a defense.”
