COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State students are now finished with finals, but the football team is still working hard at practice this week ahead of next week’s Fiesta Bowl.
- Coach Day says it isn’t easy preparing for this game, even with extra time between games
- Day says the past week has been one of the craziest of his life, with all of the traveling and constant game planning
- Day is making sure his team remembers the ultimate goal
With less than two weeks until the Fiesta Bowl, Coach Ryan Day says it isn’t easy preparing for this game, even with extra time between games.
That’s because these few weeks between the Big Ten championship and the Fiesta Bowl have been filled with recruiting trips and award ceremonies all across the country for Coach Day, his staff and some of his players.
“We only have three weeks to get ready for this game," Day said. "Really. And when you put recruiting into it, you have two weeks to play this game. ”
Day says the past week has been one of the craziest of his life, with all of the traveling and constant game planning.
“You wish you had another week, but they don’t either," he said. "So, they’re dealing with the same situation. Again, we want to maximize as much as we can and handle it better than they do. ”
As a first-year head coach, Day is making sure to rely on some of his veteran counterparts to prepare for the matchup with Clemson.
“I have not played in this game before, but talking to the other coaches that have, this game is rushed more than it ever has been," he said. "So it’s all about how do we utilize these days, each day to get ready for this game.”
And making sure his team remembers the ultimate goal.
“You have to believe that you belong as national champs," Day said.
The players will have the chance to go home later this week through the weekend to celebrate the holidays early with their family before heading to Phoenix.
