For the second time since the turn of the century, an Ohio State coach in just his second year leading the Buckeyes will be the coach in the national championship game on Monday night.
Ryan Day follows in the footsteps of former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship game in the 2002 season. In just his second year after taking over the John Cooper program, Tressel led the Buckeyes to a season of 14-0, culminating in a 31-24 victory in the double overtime over Miami in the BCS National Championship Game.
Tressel, who is now the president of Youngstown state, will be watching Monday night – from home, after the first day of Youngstown state school in the spring semester – when Day seeks to follow in his footsteps in leading the state of Ohio for a national championship game win, with the kickoff against Alabama scheduled for 8 pm at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
He said Eleven Warriors on Monday he was impressed watching Day from afar and seeing the way Day guided this year’s Buckeyes to the national championship game, despite all the adversities they had to overcome, including their initially canceled season and constant challenges of the pandemic COVID-19.
“I am really impressed with how he can maintain his focus and balance. He does a good job, even I think that probably when he’s tense or stressed or whatever, you would never know that. And I think this is how your team has been. I was really impressed with that, ”said Tressel. “The things they’ve been dealing with, I just admire the hell of how they stood their ground. Children have been working so hard to do whatever it takes to make it happen, and now I think they are in a good place.
“Ryan, I think he has a lot of confidence in them, and for a young guy, I think he did a wonderful job and this will be another big step.”
Although there was a tendency for coaches to win national championships during their second season at a school – Bob Stoops (2000, Oklahoma) and Urban Meyer (2006, Florida) are among the others who accomplished the feat – Tressel says that “he is not really sure it doesn’t matter if you’re in your second or eighth year ”He thinks a common factor between the Ohio State national title dispute in 2002 and the Buckeyes’ race for the national championship game this season, however, is the quest for success after disappointments in previous seasons.
“I thought one of the advantages we had in 2002 was that all of our older guys had been through a lot. They had a 6-6 and 8-4 season and their coach was fired, so our first year was 7-5, and there was a lot of disappointment. And they were so hungry. The same is true with what Ryan has, ”said Tressel. “He got there after those boys were defeated by Clemson 31-0 and the following year they were unable to get in and were disappointed by that. So, last year, they thought they could have won the game, they were probably the best team. It makes you disappointed. So you have this COVID thing, you may not be able to play. So, these kids were so disappointed, I think it’s just the second year. ”
Although Day talked repeatedly about everything his team had to overcome this season and how the Buckeyes had a chance to write “one of the greatest stories in college football history” on Monday night, he hesitated to talk about the importance of coaching in a national championship game for the first time, choosing to save these reflections for after the game is over.
“What really matters is the preparation for this game. I think when you start to take a step back, you get distracted, “said Day.” I’m looking forward to finishing this the right way and then taking a deep breath, relaxing and trying to reflect on what happened this year. ”
Tressel believes that the focus of the preparation day will be the key to Ohio State’s success on Monday night, as he knows from experience that you must be confident in your preparation to win at the highest level of college football.
“I felt really good about how we prepared when we played in Miami and when we played in LSU with a lot of honesty. We didn’t end up winning (the 38-24 loss to LSU in 2007), but I felt really good, ”said Tressel. “I felt terrible about the preparation of our guys (the 41-14 loss to Florida in 2006), and that’s how it ended. Sometimes, when they are not listening, they are not listening. But I think he got their attention, I think he feels good about their preparation, and I think it gives you a chance to stay calm. ”
Jim Tressel knows what it’s like to be a Ohio State coach in the second year of the national championship game, and he will be watching as Ryan Day tries to take the Buckeyes to the title on Monday night. (Photo: Jason J. Molyet / News Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
Tressel said his advice for Day tonight would be “don’t hesitate” and “be who you are”.
“The game will stay for a while maybe as you expected, then it will move to the other side and then come back,” said Tressel. “But he knows that. Every heavyweight fight, if you think you’re just going to knock them out, I don’t think it will happen ”.
That said, Tressel is optimistic about Ohio State’s victory on Monday night.
“I feel good, I really do,” said Tressel of Ohio’s chances of beating Alabama. “It is easy for me not to worry, I don’t have to train, but I don’t think we are incomparable. It is not an incompatibility. And who knows, Alabama may think so. And if they think we are like the other teams that played, I think they will be shocked. This is what I hope. ”
Even though it has been almost 10 years since his term with the Buckeyes ended, he still feels a loyalty to the state of Ohio and will be hoping for a victory over the Crimson Tide.
“It’s a lot of fun, because the older you get, the more you reflect on what part of something you touched, and I felt that in our 10 years, there has been a constant improvement and construction and construction. And Urban came there building and building, and now Ryan has it all, ”said Tressel. “If you look at this century, the state of Ohio has been very good. And it’s good to be a part of it. ”