After posting a 70-0 win in Week 2 against Grambling State to improve to 2-0 on the season, it would have been safe to assume that Ohio State football coach Ryan Day was riding high. Nope, not at all. Instead, Day was still focused on things his team needs to clean up.
He didn't hesitate in calling out the defense a bit, but there was one area on special teams that had him ready to pull out his hair - that'd be the punt returns. Things were a bit off there against Grambling State. It's something Day wants special teams coordinator Parker Fleming to address as soon as possible:
One Bobcat player who will give the Ohio State football team fits
Ryan Day said Ohio State's punt returning was a "red flag" coming out of the Grambling State game: "We got to get better."
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) September 9, 2025
"That's an area coming out of the game that we've got to improve on, for sure," Day said. "I think we lost 47 hidden yards with the ball bouncing around on…
Ohio State coach Ryan Day saw the punt returns vs. Grambling State as a red flag
Day made it clear that Brandon Inniss will be the main punt returner, but we've also seen Jeremiah Smith get work back there too. This is something that the fanbase appears to be split on, as Smith is no question increasing his risk of an injury by working as a return man.
This is something Day and his staff are surely aware of. Moving forward, Day wants to see more consistency in this part of the game and the hope is that his group can deliver there. Outside of that, it's pretty dang hard to complain about anything we've seen out of the Buckeyes through two games.
The campaign started with an absolute bang, with the Buckeyes taking down Arch Manning and Texas, who were the No. 1 team in the country at the time. Since then, Ohio State has jumped to the top of that rankings and it should move to 3-0 this weekend with a home game against Ohio.
The Buckeyes are monster favorites and Day is going to use this game to make improvements on offense, defense and special teams. Following Saturday's tilt with Ohio, Ohio State will be on a bye before facing Washington on Sept. 27.
The Huskies will make the Buckeyes pay in Seattle if they're not operating at a high level. Day understands this, which is why he won't tolerate anything less than full focus and strong play across the board from his playmakers.