On what he saw from the Northwestern win

I thought it was a pretty dominant performance. Offensively, you know, first drive went down, was successful and scored. Kind of a little bit of a lull and then really got it going after that, you know, two two-minute drive to end the half where we scored and after that we, I think we scored on every drive after that. So, did a really good job. The run game got going a lot better. We were a lot more balanced. I think over 200 yards rushing and close to 200 yards passing. So, very balanced and precise there and then defensively, really, really good. You know, held them to six points. We have a lot of touchdown in six quarters. So, it's been really good. Been fun to watch.

On Davis Warren bouncing back from the interception

Yeah, Davis was really good. Just flushed it, kept going. You know, the pick, you know, people see picks and you think it's automatically on the quarterback. Well, there's pressure in his face. He's throwing off balance and he didn't even have to follow through with the throw because if he did, he had Colston wide open. So, all those things come into play, but he flushed it. He was good the rest of the game, took care of the football the rest of the game. Everybody else played well and, you know, gotta get the run game consistent for four quarters, but coming along in the second half was huge. What's the key to that consistency? I mean, fundamentals. Just the little pieces. You gotta play five as one and communication's gotta be on point at all times and if one little thing in the run game is off, then you're off by a lot. So, continue that communication like they did in the second half.

On Colston Loveland's status

Yeah, he's trending in a good direction to be available, so we'll just continue to work and see what happens.

On Will Johnson's status

Yeah, we'll see about that one. Continue to just work through and see what the doctors say.

On Colston Loveland's impact on the program.

Oh, it's been huge. Ironically, his first touchdown was in The Shoe in 2022 as a true freshman, so he's just been extremely impactful in every way on the field, obviously, but off the field as a leader. Even as a junior, he's a guy that's a leader that people look to. Just does everything the right way. Works his tail off and is going to be a phenomenal pro.

On the two-minute drill at the end of the half

Yeah, I mean, two minutes is something we work every week, you know, throughout practice. You know, we always have a two-minute drill of some sort, whether it's or whether it's a scout team look and work the mechanics and always put them in different situations. And that situation was pretty favorable because we never have three timeouts in that situation. So, using that was really good and it allowed us to get down the field, melt enough time off and score.

On the difference with the offense in the second half

Yeah, I thought the offensive staff did a good job scheming up some runs, some different looks that they hadn't seen and presenting and loosening up the box a little bit. I think that always helps, you know, looser boxes, less people in the box, equal less space, you know, more space and more angles for you to create in the run game. And I thought they did a good job of that.

On 11 different receivers catching passes in the game

I think just the execution, the efficiency of everybody because plays are not drastically different. You know, it's just the execution level that everybody had and I thought this past week, you know, the buy-in week and the week leading up to the game that the guys prepared really well.

On Tyler Morris' game

Yeah, it's huge. You got to have that. You got to be able to back people up and he's done a really good job and we've definitely put him in positions to be successful and he's taking advantage of it and made plays. So, excited to watch him in this game.

On Josaiah Stewart's performance

I mean, Josaiah is an absolute stud. He just continues to get better. He's never satisfied with anything and part of the reason we made him a captain, you know, a leader, a guy off the field that you want to follow and he just continues to get better.

On Rayshaun Benny getting more time and whether you'll see more of him with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant

Yeah, you know, personnel-wise dictating their offensive personnel dictating some things and allowing us to do that. But he's done a really good job and you know, been healthy, feels good and he just continues to make plays.

On Mason Graham's impact

Unbelievable. Just a tireless worker, a grinder, a guy that didn't say much but when you put on the film and you watch him in practice, he speaks loudly to you and he just continues to do that and just happy that he's on our team.

On what the staff thought Graham could be when they recruited him

Yeah, you thought he'd be a really impactful player. You just didn't know when and when he got on campus, it was immediate. I remember Trevor Keegan telling me like, coach, this dude's the best dude on the D-line. I was like, what? He's like, yes, this kid right here, he'll be the best. He said he's going to be the best one and he ended up being really good. So you know, he was impactful right away. You know, I think the leverage piece, the hands all come from his wrestling background but the guys, he's super smart, he studies it and he's a really good player.

On the secondary being able to adapt

They've never flinched, all of them. They just, you know, they just keep doing whatever they have to do to go, you know, compete for the team. Guys like Zeke Barry going from nickel to safety to corner. You know, Makari playing safety at nickel and Aamir Hall ended up going in there starting playing really well. So all those guys are playing at a really good level and young guys like Brandon Hillman coming along and it's just fun to be a part of a group of guys that are so selfless.

On how this year is different in the rivalry

Yeah, obviously a different team. You know, the stakes were at which were, you know, on hand last year were bigger knowing that we had a chance to go play for the Big Ten title and knowing that's not theirs, you know, it's in the back of our minds but we all know how important this game is to this program, this community of the alumni base. So this game means everything.

On what a win in Columbus would mean to the program

Yeah, it'd be great. You know, I think our guys work continuously for this game every year. This is the one that's always marked. I think records in this game as everybody knows really don't matter and for us it's about, you know, going to execute and compete on Saturday.

On preparing the team for being in a road environment

Yeah, I mean, I think our guys thrive off of the fans and the noise, the crowd noise and people around us not thinking that we can go in and our guys really want to go just play the best game that they can for each other, for their seniors, for all the guys that are, you know, possibly moving on to the next step. Like, that's all our guys are thinking about. They're doing everything they can to go win this game.

On Ohio State's offense

Explosive, complete. They can run it. They can throw it. The quarterback's really good. He's efficient. He's playing really well right now for them. And people talk about their offensive line being reshuffled, but they're playing good football too. So it's going to be a big challenge for us, but we got to go down there and execute.

On Ohio State's defense

Yeah. It feels like those two have been there forever. And, you know, cool story about both of those guys that, you know, Zach Zinter gets hurt last year and, you know, breaks his leg. And JT was the first one that came up and he said, you know, praying for him and Jack, the same thing and say it was bigger than football. So I got a lot of respect for those kids and type of players they are and people they are more importantly. And that spoke a lot to me about those kids and who they are and their whole D-line sitting there praying for them. So, you know, I think this rivalry is big, but, you know, sometimes things like that are bigger than football and you see the reality of what, you know, who these kids are. So they're really good players. I got a lot of respect for them.

On what excites him the most about the game

Oh man, just going into, you know, another stadium, going into Columbus and the Horseshoe and being a part of this, this historic battle, this historic rivalry, you know, been in it, you know, went there in 22 and was successful. So that's the goal. Try to go win this game.

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