Ryan Day has a huge, huge game this Saturday. If he has this one in the bag, he might be just one feat away from being on OSU’s Mount Rushmore of coaches (He has to beat Michigan, as well). Day and the Buckeyes return as an elite squad, attempting to keep the Natty at home after this season. He’s lost a lot of the production that helped bring the win, and will have some new faces in their place. To steer the mindset in Columbus towards the right way, Day brought up a tough reminder from last season.

Ryan Day has almost everything in the bag for him to go down as one of the Buckeyes’ winningest coaches. Big 10 championship and Natty? Both checked off. This year, Ohio State will begin their run by facing their semi-final opponent from last year. Texas will debut an elite squad as well, which will Arch Manning as QB1. Despite the hype that both teams are getting ahead of the game, Ryan Day will want his boys to keep it real on D-Day. He brought up a tough situation from last year: OSU’s first bout in the playoffs against Tennessee, on a cold December night.

“[That] was the first time there’s ever been a playoff game like that in Ohio,” Day said in a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show. December gets brutal for the cold state of Ohio. And to that equation, we’re adding college football – that too, a playoff game. “Our backs were against the wall,” he added further. However, it ultimately saw a victorious Ryan Day at the end of it. Ohio State won 42-17 that game, ending the run for Tennessee in 2024. And after 2 more games, Ryan Day was able to lift the coveted National Championship.

He wants the same energy that came during that game, in those situations, to reflect in the Texas game. “[We] came out swinging in that game. And so, we have to be the same way here. Just because we were in that situation last year shouldn’t affect how we play. And so we need to have that same mentality when we walk out of the tunnel here on Saturday,” he added. It’s going to big day for Ohio State football, who will fight a No. 1-ranked team while being a No.3. It’ll be a battle of the titans, as some of the best college football players will be facing off against each other. Day is not just relying on his own for OSU’s success, but is also calling fans to chip in.

Ryan Day is already assigning a ‘job’ to OSU fans for Saturday

The Horseshoe Stadium will be thronging with fans on August 30. There are still a few tickets remaining for this buzzworthy game. A sea of red will be dotted by some equally passionate fans in orange. We know how passionate OSU fans can be, and Day is counting on their energy for the Saturday game. “We need everyone to do their job, including the fans,” Ryan Day said in a press conference on August 26. But he isn’t simply asking fans for some cheer. He’s setting them up with a mean task.

“We need everyone in that stadium early and loud. We want to make this the most hostile environment in the country,” the Buckeyes HC added. Fans will not need another telling, because the goal was always to remind Texas who they’re facing off against. OSU also knows that this isn’t just any other opponent. The Longhorns are the expected winners of the National Championship this year, and they have strong units on both sides. If Manning has to worry about facing Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles, Julian Sayin will have to be on the lookout for Colin Simmons.

Ohio State will hope to begin their season on a high note, as beating a ranked team will shine on their report card ahead of the playoffs. They do aim to get there, after all. But Texas will be no easy fight, since this also happens to be Steve Sarkisian’s best shot at winning the title. He’s been in the playoffs twice in the past two years, which means Texas will not sit back. The Buckeyes will have to be ready for some serious action on Saturday.