COLUMBUS — Ryan Day is not particularly subtle.
When something has not been good enough, Ohio State’s head coach has said so.
A few weeks ago, it was the running backs. After watching opportunities for explosive runs disappear against Kent State, Day challenged the room to run with more physicality and turn open lanes into bigger plays.
Then came the defense.
Ohio State allowed Illinois to rush for 199 yards, its worst performance against the run since the 2023 Cotton Bowl. Day made it clear the execution was not acceptable, and senior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. was even less diplomatic, calling the performance “terrible.”
Both groups got the message.
Ohio State’s running game has looked much better over the past two weeks. Ja’Kobi Jackson and Bo Jackson combined for 142 rushing yards at Iowa, helping the Buckeyes finish off a 31-14 road victory with a possession that consumed the final 9:30.
Saturday against Maryland, they did it again.
Bo rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while Ja’Kobi added 76 yards as Ohio State finished with another long fourth-quarter drive that removed any remaining doubt. The Buckeyes went 72 yards in 16 plays, consumed 9:59, and ended it with Bo Jackson scoring from two yards out.
Back-to-back games. Back-to-back fourth-quarter possessions lasting more than nine minutes. That is not an accident.
Earlier in the season, Ohio State could move the football on the ground, but too often the running game felt complementary to Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and the passing attack. Now the Buckeyes are showing they can hand the ball to the Jacksons, tell the opponent exactly what is coming, and finish a football game anyway. Moreover, the backs are running angrier.
That is exactly what Day wanted to see when he challenged the room.
The defensive response has been just as noticeable.
Illinois gashed Ohio State for 199 rushing yards and repeatedly created explosive plays because Buckeye defenders were getting out of position. Kenyatta Jackson later described it as players trying to play “hero ball” instead of simply doing their jobs.
One week later, Iowa managed only 39 rushing yards.
Maryland finished with 82.
The Terrapins did put together one excellent 75-yard touchdown drive Saturday, but outside of that possession, Ohio State’s defense controlled the game. Maryland finished with only 10 offensive points, with the other six coming on a pick-six, despite the Buckeyes repeatedly putting themselves in difficult situations with penalties and turnovers.
That is two straight games in which the defense has looked far more disciplined than it did against Illinois.
There are still things Day will have plenty to complain about when Ohio State reviews the Maryland film. The Buckeyes committed eight penalties, Sayin turned the ball over twice, and the pass protection remains inconsistent — although Ohio State was playing without two starting offensive linemen in Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels. Saturday was hardly a polished performance.
But that almost strengthens the larger point.
Ohio State is improving in the areas its head coach has specifically identified as problems.
Day challenged his running backs to become more physical and create more with the opportunities in front of them. They have responded by running harder, producing more explosives, and helping Ohio State bleed more than nine minutes off the clock in consecutive fourth quarters.
He demanded better defensive execution after Illinois. The Buckeyes responded by suffocating Iowa’s running game and allowing Maryland very little sustained offensive success outside one drive.
Ohio State will need that progress going forward because the easy portion of the schedule is over. The Buckeyes travel to Bloomington next Saturday to face No. 7 Indiana, the defending national champion, in the beginning of a stretch that will tell us much more about what this team can become.
There will be more challenges from Day before this season is finished.
