Here’s what Ryan Day said during his weekly presser ahead of Week 4 game vs. Akron

It’s Tuesday, which means we heard from Ohio State coach Ryan Day.

Ohio State slipped from No. 9 to No. 10 in this week’s AP Top 25 despite beating Tulsa 41-20. The Buckeyes haven’t looked as sharp as people thought they would, and that’s a big reason why they’ve fallen in the rankings.

To make matters worse, CJ Stroud is dealing with a shoulder injury. It’s a shame considering he leads the B1G in passing yards per game through the first few weeks of the season. It sounds like he’ll play this week, though.

Day addressed Stroud’s injury, the defense and more in his weekly Tuesday press conference. Here’s what he had to say:

Day said advantage of having defensive play-caller Matt Barnes calling plays from sideline is having interaction with players and also in making adjustments.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

Day doesn't commit to starting TreVeyon Henderson. Said he's obviously deserved more playing time but says it's a week-to-week thing.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

Day on getting backup QBs playing time: Said he doesn't feel pressure to do it but it is something they would like to do. Said it depends largely on this week's game preparation.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

Day on the Buckeyes' inexperience: "One thing we have to recognize is you don't just walk out in an Ohio State uniform and win." (might be a slight paraphrase.)

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

Ryan Day said he doesn't feel “pressure” to get the backup quarterbacks snaps this week, but said that is something Ohio State would like to make happen this week if the opportunity presents itself.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 21, 2021

Day on the field turf: "We looked at our cleats to make sure we have the right footwear. We have had some guys go down."

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 21, 2021

#Buckeyes coach Ryan Day: "One thing that we just all have to recognize is that you don't just walk out with an Ohio State uniform and think you're just going to go win. It doesn't work that way. It's really hard, and we have to continue to prepare at a high level."

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 21, 2021

Day says pass rush "needs to improve."

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

On C.J. Stroud's shoulder injury, Day says "there's something there, for sure," and that there have been a lot of conversations about it.

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 21, 2021

Ryan Day says Ohio State is still shaping its identity: "I didn't have expectations. I'm hopeful that we can keep working, and as we look back here in a few weeks, we can see a lot of growth … These first few weeks haven't been ideal, you know, but that's life, too."

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 21, 2021

Day said that the plan is for C.J. Stroud to practice this week (and presumably play) despite his sore shoulder.

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 21, 2021

Day said having depth at running back will be critical as the #Buckeyes get into the meat of the season. He said #OhioState hasn't found that balance yet on offense.

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) September 21, 2021

Day says Cam Martinez's development from a high school QB to a defensive back at OSU: "We felt like his skill set was really special, but there was going to be some transition" because he hadn't played there before.

He says now the consistency is going to be critical.

— BuckeyeScoop (@BuckeyeScoop) September 21, 2021

Day says some of the accuracy issues Stroud has had could be related to the shoulder, but a lot may have to do with inexperience, too.

"I think there's a lot of great football ahead for CJ Stroud."

— BuckeyeScoop (@BuckeyeScoop) September 21, 2021

Ryan Day says “there's no excuses,” and Ohio State has to be better in all three phases of the game, but the Buckeyes are playing a lot of players who didn't play much last year because of the shortened season, and it takes time to catch up for the reps they missed.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 21, 2021

On Kerry Coombs: "He's a professional, he's an Ohio guy, he has an incredible record." Day says Coombs has done "an incredible job of just pushing forward" and is still a big part of the defense.

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) September 21, 2021