Ryan Day says Ohio State will respect Rutgers, hopes for Chase Young’s return
![Ohio State coach Ryan Day said his unbeaten team will not take Rutgers for granted this week. The Buckeyes are 52-point favorites for Saturday’s game. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2019/11/12/NBUX/ghows-OH-9baf24c1-9000-4143-9fc3-407fed307f01-70c8f057.jpeg?width=660&height=469&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Ohio State football coach Ryan Day did not provide an update on star defensive end Chase Young’s status during his weekly news conference on Tuesday.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Day said. “There’s nothing I can talk about.”
Day said that Young will practice this week ahead of Ohio State’s game at Rutgers on Saturday. Day is holding out hope that Young will be available.
“We’re going to prepare for him to be back this week,” Day said.
Ohio State held Young out of last week’s game against Maryland after announcing it was concerned that the junior had committed an NCAA violation. Young said it was related to a loan given by a family friend. The Dispatch learned that it was related to airfare for last season’s Rose Bowl.
Ohio State (9-0) and ranked No. 1 by the College Football Playoff selection committee — this week’s rankings will be revealed Tuesday night — is a 52-point favorite over Rutgers (2-7, 0-6).
Day wasn’t even asked about Rutgers until near the end of his 22-minute media availability. He said this week will be a test of the Buckeyes’ discipline and said they must play to their standard.
“We certainly have respect for everybody we play,” Day said. “I’ve known (interim coach) Nunzio (Campanile) a long time. He’s going to do a great job.
“(Rutgers) has had a week off, and those guys are going to come out play really, really hard. If we’re going to take anything for granted, if they (think) we’re just going to show up in Piscataway and win a game, that’s not going to happen. So we have to do a good job.”
Day added that the Buckeyes are keeping the focus on their own play.
“It comes back to us and what is our standard, and we have to make sure that we’re holding up that standard,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of stake here. We can’t put any of that stuff to risk. And it’s something that the coaching staff’s been hammering home with the players, and to this point they’ve respected that, and they have to.”
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