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What Ryan Day said following Ohio State’s Sugar Bowl win over Clemson
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The Buckeyes got over the hump.
Ohio State’s last two run-ins with Clemson have not gone as planned. The Buckeyes were blown out by the Tigers during the 2016 College Football Playoff, shutout for the only time in Urban Meyer’s career. Last year, Ohio State blew a 16-0 lead and threw an interception on the final drive of the game to drop a close one to Clemson.
Friday night, though, Ohio State left no doubt.
The Buckeyes cruised to a 49-28 victory over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, getting their first-ever program victory over the Tigers. Now, head coach Ryan Day will prepare his team to play for a national championship in just his second season. The Bucks will take on Alabama on Monday, Jan. 11.
While it was a close game through the 1st quarter — tied at 14-14 — Ohio State controlled the game the rest of the way. Justin Fields was brilliant under center and Trey Sermon had another huge performance on the ground. The Buckeyes defense also shut down an explosive Clemson offense, not something many teams accomplished.
After the win, Day met with the media to discuss Ohio State’s 21-point victory. Here’s what he had to say:
Ryan Day at the postgame podium.
“Very happy for this team after such a long journey to get here.” pic.twitter.com/mz8ZRxMjvJ
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day: “This team really showed what they're made of, and it was fun to be out there tonight.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day said “Dabo has always been nothing but professional to me.” He said Swinney told him after the game, “Go have a great game and win it all.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day on how Justin Fields bounced back from his struggles against Northwestern: “A lot of people were talking poorly about him as a quarterback, and that bothered him.” Day said he told him no one would remember the Big Ten Championship Game if he played well tonight.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day on Justin Fields: “What a gutsy performance … what a special young man Justin Fields is.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day said he doesn't know exactly what happened to Justin Fields. “I just asked ‘Can you do it?’ He said yes, and we went from there.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day on the significance of finally beating Clemson: “This was big for our program … but again, we're not done.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day on Justin Fields playing through the pain: “I'm just thinking to myself, this kid is tough.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Ryan Day on Justin Fields: “He had an edge to him all week … he didn't like seeing people talk ill about him.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Asked Ryan Day how he would rank Justin Fields' performance tonight among the quarterback performances he's seen. “As high as I can think of.”
Said he hopes tonight's game, not only by Justin Fields but the entire team, will be viewed as “a landmark game in Ohio State history.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 2, 2021
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB