BUCKEYE RECAP

Coach's Corner

Ryan Day — Head Coach

On Saturday's collapse at Texas:
"It's maddening. And, you know, we're excited to get back on the field and get going because, the last couple of days haven't been fun around here."

On leadership in the wake of the loss, and the number of players going through their first one at Ohio State:
"You solve problems. You don't BCD: blame, complain, defend. That's what losers do. We cannot do that. We have to solve the problem, get the problems fixed, and then move forward." Day noted how many people that's new for: "This is a new experience for 51 players, 51 parents, 51 uncles, 51 brothers, 51 agents."

On Phillip Daniels and Zion Grady's status for Kent State, both banged up against Texas:
"Those guys right now haven't really practiced much this week. We'll have to see coming out of tomorrow how it shakes out. I would say it's probably trending toward them not being available. But we'll see how tomorrow goes."

On whether, in hindsight, Ohio State should have let Texas score on the final drive rather than fight for a stop:
"Well, it, it didn't work, so the answer is yes."

On the mood inside the building this week and the standard that hasn't changed:
"I think everybody was angry, pissed off. All of us were, coaches, players." Day said the standard inside the program hasn't changed: "We don't lose games here at Ohio State."

Brotherhood Bites

Payton Pierce — Linebacker

On the idea that Ohio State's defense should have let Texas score quickly late rather than trying to get a stop:
"I didn't even realize that there was another scenario where people were wanting us to maybe let them score. That's just not the way I guess our defense is wired and should be wired. I think you just put the ball down, and, you know, it's at the two-yard line. We got to make four stops, and that was that was the plan."

Luke Montgomery — Offensive Line

On the Texas loss:
"I think we shot ourselves in the foot last weekend, to be honest with you, which is what it is. You learn from it and we got to move on now."

On Gabe VanSickle stepping in at right guard, with Austin Siereveld sliding out to tackle, if Daniels can't go:
"Gabe's been great. He's definitely a guy you can count on in a couple of different positions. He's a baller. He's strong. I have full trust in him, so he'll be great. He'll do his job."

Mason Williams — Tight End

On playing for first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith:
"It's definitely a lot." Williams said he's grateful for where that work has gotten him: he's thankful to "play at the Shoe every week."

Recruiting Round-up

Five-star 2028 cornerback Nasir Richardson — the No. 1 cornerback and No. 11 overall recruit in the class per the 247Sports Composite — will be on campus Saturday for the Kent State game as part of what's shaping up as a big Ohio State recruiting weekend. The Newark, New Jersey product picked up his Ohio State offer after a spring camp visit and is also hearing from Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, BYU, Florida State, and Wisconsin. He's not committed anywhere yet.

Program News

Ohio State's Sept. 26 home game against Illinois will kick off at noon ET on FOX — the Buckeyes' second Big Noon Saturday game of the season. It's the 27th meeting in the Illibuck Trophy series, which Ohio State leads 19-8.

Ohio State women's basketball legend and Hall of Famer Katie Smith will ring the Victory Bell before Saturday's game — the first woman to do so since the pregame tradition began last season. Smith, a two-time All-American and three-time Big Ten Player of the Year as a Buckeye who went on to a seven-time WNBA All-Star career and two WNBA titles, is in her third year as an Ohio State women's basketball assistant coach.

What to Watch For:

• The right side of the offensive and defensive lines, shorthanded.
  Phillip Daniels (RT) and Zion Grady (DE) are both trending toward missing Saturday after leaving the Texas game with injuries. Gabe VanSickle is the likely next man up at guard with Austin Siereveld sliding to tackle; at defensive end, Beau Atkinson and Qua Russaw are the top options to replace Grady, with true freshman Khary Wilder (2 pressures on just 5 snaps against Texas, per Pro Football Focus) the name fans most want to see get more run.

• Whether the pass rush shows up after going quiet on Texas's final drive.
  Day's own words on it: "You can watch the game and say, yeah, in that last drive, we just didn't get enough pressure on the quarterback to go finish the game and win the game for us."

• A bounce-back measuring stick against a team Ohio State should handle.
  Kent State is 1-1 (a 57-0 loss to South Carolina, a win over Wofford) and Ohio State is a roughly 52.5-point favorite. The Buckeyes have won all three previous meetings. The value here isn't the scoreboard, it's whether Ohio State plays a clean, complete four quarters after last week's collapse.

• Legend Bey gets another shot on kickoff returns,
  a job Devin McCuin took over against Texas. Kent State's special teams are run by former NFL return ace Joshua Cribbs, a name Day mentioned with respect this week.