Here are the best things we heard from the Buckeyes after the beat up Maryland in the second half of a 37-17 win.
Ohio State looked clunky - AGAIN - in the first half Saturday afternoon, something that's becoming a bit of a common thread this season. But in all fairness, they seem to make better halftime adjustments than just about anybody in the country because the Buckeyes rattled the Terrapins for the next 30 minutes and pulled away in a 37-17 victory.
Head coach Ryan Day and a handful of the Buckeye players spoke to the media postgame. Here are some of the best quotes we heard after Saturday's win.
Ryan Day
On the slow start to the game
"I couldn't quite understand what was going on there on the first couple of drives. Didn't quite get in sync on offense and then we had the botched snap. That was just a bad snap. It slipped out of his hands… But that is the game and we had to respond. I thought we did respond well in the second half. We got into a rhythm. The number one goal is to be 1-0 on Saturday, so check that box. We want to play well in the second half. Check that box. We wanted to start fast in this game and didn't get that done. So we have to look at why that."
On winning games because the defense played so well
"I have no preference (on how we win) as long as we win. I think the defense did some great things this game. I thought Jim [Knowles] and the staff did a really good job with the game plan. I thought that they were a step ahead just in terms of the defenses that we were in. He did a great job of getting them in the right calls. There's still a ton of things that we can improve on and get better at, there is… I think our guys are playing hard, and that's the thing to me. There are certain things that we can clean up, some things that were close, but our team is playing with passion. They are playing physical and they are playing hard."
Kyle McCord
On the change in pace between the first and second half
"We work, and we didn't quite do that in the first half. In the second half I feel like we did do that. We executed the opportunities presented, and that's huge."
Marvin Harrison Jr.
On the team's ability to stay calm when things aren't going well
"Notre Dame was a big step for us as a team. It gave us the confidence that we needed to go out and score. Overall, we're building confidence offensively."
Josh Proctor
On his first career interception returned for a touchdown
"We know they like to go with that little bunch and bring the running back out and then throw the check down. So my eyes were in the backfield and I was just reading and reacting, anticipating."
On his huge hit while on the kickoff return team
"I definitely felt it but in the moment we needed some momentum, we needed someone to step up, and that just felt like it had to be done."
On elevating his play to another level this season
"Everything is coming to fruition - I prayed about these moments, I've dreamt about these moments. Sometimes I had my ups and downs but honestly, I'm just living in the moment and I'm here now."
Cade Stover
On the defense lifting the team up with big moments
"It's huge, they are playing so hard. They are playing awesome. Those guys have such a good scheme, are stopping the run and overall are doing really well which helps the offense more."
Steele Chambers
On Proctor's pick-6 that got the Buckeyes on the scoreboard when the offense was sputtering early
"I think that gave us a lot of juice. You know, he got us going. Proctor is really good. He's obviously been here for a while; he's a leader on our defense, and for me, just knowing him personally, it feels good. You know, I think he's been through a lot of injuries over the years and stuff like that, so it feels good to see him do good. He's playing his best ball right now."
J.T. Tuimoloau
On being a prominent playmaker defensively
"I think it's just playing within a defense where everybody's motto is 'fly around' and continue to play our game whether or not it's me blowing it up. I think it's just a matter of fact; we all play our role and do our thing. We just click and it's kind of a chain reaction."