What Ryan Day Said About Indiana Ahead of Top-Five Clash in Bloomington

Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke with reporters Tuesday ahead of the No. 4 Buckeyes' trip to Bloomington for Saturday's top-five showdown with No. 5 Indiana.

From the Hoosiers' offensive weapons to the importance of winning in the trenches, Day had plenty to say about the challenges ahead for Ohio State.

Here are the biggest takeaways from his weekly press conference.

Ohio State expects reinforcements

Ohio State could be getting healthier at the right time.

During Monday's Buckeye Roundtable Show, Day said he expects several of the five or six starters who missed last week's win over Maryland to return against Indiana, though not everyone will be available.

"I don't think we'll get all of them back," Day said Tuesday. "But we should get a good portion of them back for Indiana."

Offensive lineman Austin Siereveld, who missed the Maryland game with an unspecified illness, remains day-to-day. Receivers Brendan Inniss and Devin McCuin, linebacker Christian Alliegro and offensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Leroy Roker III all could return.

Last year's loss is in the past

Day isn't interested in dwelling on Ohio State's loss to Indiana in last year's Big Ten Championship Game, though he believes there are lessons worth carrying into Saturday.

The Buckeyes struggled on third down and in the red zone in that matchup, two areas Day emphasized Tuesday.

"Nothing that happened in the past has anything to do with this weekend," Day said. "We can learn from the past, so some of those guys that played in that game can learn from all the reasons why we came up short, and that's good. That's fine. But the focus has to be on right now, and that's it."

Indiana's defensive front presents a major challenge

Day made it clear where he believes Saturday's matchup will be won and lost.

"Everything is going to start up front in this game," Day said.

With Ohio State potentially relying on some of its offensive line depth, Day acknowledged the difficulty of playing Indiana's defensive front.

"It's going to be a huge challenge. They do an excellent job up front on defense," Day said. "Their defensive line is one of the biggest challenges we'll have all season."

Day is impressed with Indiana's offensive weapons

Indiana's passing attack has caught Day's attention, particularly with the combination of quarterback Josh Hoover and receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.

On Hoover, Day praised both his efficiency and Indiana's offensive scheme.

"He's playing really efficient. They're doing a good job of putting him in the system that takes care of the ball," Day said. "You have to give a lot of credit to their scheme."

Day was equally complimentary of Becker and Marsh.

"These guys in particular are very clean route runners," Day said. "They're really strong on contact, have really good body control, have run-after-the-catch ability.

"Certainly, Becker has made some big-time plays in big-time moments, and Marsh is playing as good as anybody right now. This is a huge challenge for our secondary."

Marsh is coming off his best performance as a Hoosier, catching six passes for 187 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Nebraska.

His emergence alongside Becker and his history of production against the Buckeyes give Indiana two legitimate downfield threats capable of changing a game with one play.

Preparing for a hostile environment

Ohio State has already played road games at Texas and Iowa this season, and Day expects another difficult environment Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

"It's going to be loud," Day said. "So we've got to be able to handle the silent cadence."

Indiana hasn't lost a home game under Curt Cignetti, and Saturday's top-five matchup figures to bring one of the most anticipated atmospheres Bloomington has ever seen.

Ohio State can't afford to lose focus

Perhaps Day's biggest message Tuesday was the importance of maintaining concentration for the entire game.

"You have to stay focused for 60 minutes," Day said. "You take a play off, and these guys will hurt you. We can't do that."

Indiana's comeback at Nebraska offered a timely example. The Hoosiers trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter before rallying for a 20-17 victory.

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