Here's what Ryan Day said following Ohio State's win over MSU in his absence

Ohio State would have loved to have head coach Ryan Day on hand in East Lansing, but the team made sure his absence did not become a distraction to their performance.

Behind a dominant first half from Justin Fields, the Buckeyes raced out to a 28-0 lead over Michigan State. That stretch included three total touchdowns by Fields and an incredible defensive touchdown by Haskell Garrett.

In the end, Ohio State finished with a 52-12 win, capturing the style points potentially needed to impress the CFP Committee. And even though Day was not able to attend the game, he took time to give a virtual press conference to discuss the performance after the win.

Here’s what Day had to say:

Ryan Day on the 23 unavailable players: “I'm hoping we start getting some guys back … I'm hoping the worst part is behind us, and we can look forward.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 5, 2020

Ryan Day on Justin Fields: “I thought he played really gutsy, in a situation where we had to be really careful with the offensive line.” Said he thought offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson “called a great game.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 5, 2020

Ryan Day: "We were down four full-time coaches this week. So many people had to step up this week. It's all about them. What a great statement about who we are as a culture." #Buckeyes

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 5, 2020

Ryan Day: "I took a lot of notes, I yelled a lot, I got really, really excited on some other plays. Haskell's play, I was running around the house. … It was not easy. It's all about the team, but it was a difficult day." #Buckeyes

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 5, 2020

Day says he has yet to receive an update on the status of the Michigan game. #Buckeyes

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 5, 2020

Ryan Day said he thought quality control coach Keenan Bailey did a great job leading the quarterbacks this week with both him and Corey Dennis away from the team, and Kevin Wilson “deserves a lot of credit” for how well today went.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 5, 2020

Ryan Day said the decision that Larry Johnson would be the next man up was made all the way back when Day was named head coach and Johnson was promoted to associate head coach.

“To see him get the Gatorade bath at the end, I had a tear in my eye.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) December 5, 2020

Larry Johnson did a great job filling in for Day, even making a little history in the process for the Buckeyes. It is good to see the team respond under adversity, but hopefully Day is able to return soon after the weekend.