Coach Ryan Day
RYAN DAY: This is quite an honor to be in the National
Championship game. We’re obviously very excited to be
here. This is something that our guys fought so hard to
have this opportunity, and now we’re here.
Unbelievable opportunity to play a great program, so much
respect for Coach Saban and his staff and the players and
their tradition of winning there.
Really looking forward to a great week of preparation as
we work our way down to Miami.
Q. After the game you said you didn’t know the extent
of Justin’s injury after it happened, but then he said he
didn’t feel he had any chance but to return. I think
what you meant is that Justin himself wanted to play
so much that he thought he had no choice to return as
opposed to pressure imposed on him by anyone else
to get back on the field. Can you clarify that as well as
what the medical protocol is for players who were hurt
to be cleared to return? And of course how is Justin,
and what’s your level of confidence he can practice
and play?
RYAN DAY: Sure. I think when you, first off, saw the way
that Justin finished the game, it was remarkable. I thought
that was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen in
person.
It was like any other situation. It was certainly high profile
to see it all go down, but I leave all that stuff up to our
medical people who are the best in the country.
Justin is such a competitive guy. He wasn’t going to come
off the field, and that’s just the way he’s wired. You were
going to have to pull him off the field.
It was a pretty amazing performance. It was good the next
day he actually — his comment to me was that he felt better
waking up in the morning than he expected. You know,
we’ll keep working through the week and have a great
week of preparation, get ready to play Monday night.
Q. How do you explain Justin going from at least
statistically his worst game of his career to his best?
And then along with that, can you even share with us if
the ribs are broken or anything? How bad are they?
RYAN DAY: So I think when you look at the Northwestern
game, there was a lot at play there. First off, Northwestern
is very, very good defensively and they made things hard
for us, and we were just a little off in a certain area, and
that’s all it takes is to be a little off.
I think, too, it got us out of rhythm a little bit that Chris was
out, Jackson was out, and that threw us a little bit off
rhythm. So I think it’s a combination of those things.
And then to turn around and play the way he did, I think
that again shows his competitiveness. You started to hear
some rumblings about the fact that he didn’t play very well,
and I know that bothered him. It took a couple days to
recover from.
But that’s part of being a quarterback, and I think that’s part
of learning as a quarterback is overcoming adversity, and
the truth is he really hasn’t had a lot of adversity. This is
somebody who’s had a lot of success throughout his
career. He’s very, very talented and very, very smart, and
so when you look at the great quarterbacks, they all have
to overcome that adversity.
As we talked after that game, this was just another step in
his journey, and what really matters is how he returns and
how he recovers. And I thought the way he played in the
game was excellent, but it was more important, like you
were saying, he played coming off of that game that he felt
like he didn’t play great in, and that’s a sign of great growth
as a quarterback, which was huge.
Q. Just as a follow-up, can you tell us the specific
injury that Justin has and whether you expect him to
play?
RYAN DAY: Yeah, I definitely expect him to play, but,
yeah, we don’t get into specifics on injuries. We give our
availability report at the end of the week, and that’s always
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been our policy.
Q. As a follow-up on a different topic, with Trey
Sermon and his emergence, I think you said after the
game that it started around Michigan State that a light
switch came on for him. Why do you think that was?
You said early on maybe he wasn’t making the type of
impact that you all expected. Why was it then that
something changed for him?
RYAN DAY: Yeah, I think that’s a great question for him. I
don’t know if he’ll be able to give a great answer there, but
I think there was a couple things at play. One, he didn’t
have the lead-up like a normal running back would have
going into the season because of the lack of the
preseason. Came in during the summer, didn’t have that
lead-up like he typically would, and then he was coming off
of the injury.
Again, those are the two things I use. I don’t know if he
would say that or not, but I look to those two things.
And then also our run game is a little different than what he
was used to. He was also splitting time with Master. So
when he started to get more at bats, he started to get more
runs, got into a rhythm of the game, and I think you’re
seeing the best version of Trey.
The best part about Trey is when all that was going on, he
never came into my office, never complained, never said I
need more carries, none of that stuff. Just kept his mouth
shut and kept going to work. I think that is the best part of
this whole story, is he just kept going every single day to
work and never said anything about it, and how he’s
playing at a high, high level.
It’s really remarkable what he’s done. Over 500 yards in
two of the biggest games of the year, and he has a chance
to go down in Ohio State history as one of the best runs
ever if he can have another performance in this game like
he did the last two.
So hats off to him, but I think a lot of it has to do with our
offensive line, our tight ends, and our running game, as
well.
Q. Ryan, I wanted to ask you about clearly the passing
game is exploding, and because of that, wide receivers
become more important just because you’re throwing
more. But is there more to it that way? It seems like
now you cannot have a great team without really great
receivers. You see Devonta and then your guys, Olave
and Wilson. How has that position sort of evolved to
the point where it seems like it’s become maybe the
second or third most important position on the
offense?
RYAN DAY: I mean, it’s very important. I think that the
emergence of 7-on-7 has increased the skill level of a lot of
receivers and quarterbacks, and they get the ball on the
perimeter a lot faster than maybe they did 10 or 20 years
ago, spreading the field horizontally and vertically. And
we’re always looking for ways to create explosives, and the
easiest way to create an explosive is to throw the football.
So when you have that combination of run and pass, it
really helps.
Now, if you don’t have the ability to run the football, and I
think if you look at both teams here, both of us have really
explosive receivers. Both of us have really good running
games. So because you can run the football, just do the
math on it. Somebody extra is going to be in the box,
which opens things up down the field. If you don’t have
that ability to run the ball, that extra guy is now deep and
it’s a two-high shell and it’s not as explosive.
So I think it all goes hand in hand. But to go back to your
original point, I do think that receivers in the last five to ten
years, their skill level has increased overall nationally, and
you’re seeing some of the best in the country in this game.
Q. Wanted to kind of follow up on the situation with
Justin. I know you’re not going to get into specifics
before the game, but how will you approach
preparations for this game if he’s not able to take as
many reps as usual during the week leading up to the
championship?
RYAN DAY: Yeah, we’re just going to practice the way we
normally practice. Nothing is going to change.
Q. With as much as you all put into beating Clemson
all off-season and having that game on your list all
year, is there any concern about maintaining that same
level of intensity and focus going into this game?
RYAN DAY: Well, the goal was never just to beat
Clemson. The goal was to win the National Championship.
All these guys who — we didn’t have a season and they
were fighting to get back to play for a National
Championship.
While it was an emotional win, that wasn’t the goal. The
goal was to win this one. And so I’d be disappointed if we
didn’t play well in this game. This is everything on the line,
everything we wanted, and so now all the focus goes on to
Alabama. We’ve just got to prepare.
The most prepared team is going to win the game, and we
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have to prepare like we did the week before. The good
news is I think we have a little confidence going into the
game that we’ve shown what we can do, and now we’ve
got to go do it again.
You know, it’s a good lead-up time. We get 10 days here
and kind of rest up a little bit and then get to work and
practicing. So I think we’ll be refreshed and ready to roll.
The virus still hasn’t gone away, so we’ve got to make sure
we’re really vigilant in that area, which is still a struggle day
in and day out. It’s just hard. But the preparation is just
going to continue to go on.
Again, we said it going into the last game, we’re going to
have to play our best game. Well, we’re going to have to
even play better than we did last week to beat Alabama.
Q. There was a lot of buzz last week about where Dabo
Swinney put your team in the coaches’ poll. How
much attention do you pay to Nick Saban’s ballot that
had you at 5 behind Texas A&M at 4?
RYAN DAY: Yeah, that was — until you just said that I
wasn’t aware. I really don’t look at those things too much.
I totally respect everybody’s opinion. What matters is
playing in the game.
Q. A lot of people have raved about Steve Sarkisian’s
play calling at Alabama. Is there anything that stands
out to you about the way he goes about calling plays
in the game?
RYAN DAY: He’s got a great tradition of a lot of success
on the offensive side of the ball. He’s been around some
unbelievable offenses, and he’s got a great feel. I think
when you look at the things he does and the plays he runs,
he puts the defense in a lot of stress. He’s very
aggressive. He obviously really knows how to prepare an
offense to create explosives, how to run the football. He’s
very, very talented.
And when it comes down to calling plays, sure, there’s a
knack for it, but so much of it is the preparation that you put
in leading up to it. You know, it’s always a good play when
it works. That’s what I always laugh about. Why did you
call that one? Because it worked. If it doesn’t work, it’s not
a good play and you’re not a good play caller.
So I think the big thing there is I don’t know him as well,
met him a few times, got a lot of respect for him, but he
clearly does a great job in preparation, putting the game
plan together, and then preparing the guys to execute it
based on what they’re going to see.
Q. You’re in rarefied air for a second-year head coach.
What’s it like to match wits and put a game plan
together against a guy who’s won six national titles?
RYAN DAY: Again, nothing but the utmost respect for
Coach Saban and his staff. Anytime you get to this level,
you know you’ve got to be on your game. You’re going
against the best in the world, and certainly Alabama is.
Coach Saban’s career speaks for itself.
So yeah, watched them win a lot of National
Championships, so again, nothing but the utmost respect.
When you get to this level, you know it’s going to be hard
no matter how you shake it. You’ve got to be on top of
your game and you’ve got to do a great job getting the
guys prepared, playing at a high level, and that’s what
we’re going to focus on.
Q. Your offensive line has seemed to really grow here
over the last couple games, which is kind of
remarkable considering you’ve only played three in
like 40 days, and in all three of those you had a
different starting five. How have they been able to do
that given all those challenges and circumstances?
RYAN DAY: I think it goes back to practice, and that’s the
thing that we spend a lot of time talking about, was that
because we weren’t playing in as many games we had to
practice really hard. We had to practice against each
other. The D-line had to go against the O-line, ones versus
ones and that was the only way we were going to get
better fundamentally.
It wasn’t always so much of a schematic deal. It was more
about getting a pads down, hands inside, running feet, all
the things that come with that. And that’s just the guys up
front. I mean, linebackers, tight ends are the same way on
the perimeter.
So that was the only way we could do it because we
weren’t playing in those games. So I attribute it to practice,
which our guys did a great job of. You’ve got to give a lot
of credit to the guys. Got to give a lot to credit to the
position coaches for getting them ready.
Q. Justin was obviously very vocal at the beginning of
the year about wanting to play, needing to play. How
influential do you think he was and what did that tell
you about his evolution as a leader?
RYAN DAY: I think that was a huge step in his what you’re
calling evolution as a leader. I think that that was big.
When he first got here he had leadership skills. I think his
ability on the field pulled some guys with him, and I think
that as time went on, he became more and more of a
103803-1-1041 2021-01-04 19:19:00 GMT Page 3 of 4
leader.
I thought what he did at the team up north game last year
after coming back, after taking that shot in the knee and
then coming out for one play and then going back in and
then throwing that touchdown pass was amazing. Your
teammates see that.
And then to see the way he worked in the off-season, and
then to see him fight and speak up for his teammates, and
then to see him come back and play the way he’s played,
the big play in the Michigan State game where he’s running
down and blocking for Trey Sermon on a run, the way he
came back and played gutsy in this game Friday night,
again, I think those were all steps in the evolution.
But I do think it was significant when he spoke up. I think
that that was a big step for him. But this is something
that’s been growing over time, and it’s great to watch and
be a part of.
Trey Sermon
Q. Can you tell us about that smirk into the ESPN
camera that was caught on the camera there?
TREY SERMON: Just looking at the replay and once the
call got reversed, I kind of smirked because I didn’t really
think I was down. And then once I kind of saw my knee hit
the ground I was just like, it just barely touched it. But it
was funny.
Q. Coach said that something changed in the
Michigan State game for you, just in terms of things
coming together. Can you just explain why perhaps
the light switch went on for you in that game and how
you’ve been able to put together these last two?
TREY SERMON: I just wanted to be able to contribute
more and just make the most of my opportunities. I mean,
I feel like before, I just wasn’t playing my best. I mean, it
just kind of started in practice. I just started practicing a lot
harder than I was, just trying to just do whatever I can to
just help myself improve.
Q. In your eyes how much did it further Justin’s
standing as a leader on this team when he spoke so
forcefully for you all to play a season this year? And
then did he take it to a whole other level in a game like
the semifinal?
TREY SERMON: Wait, what did you say? I couldn’t really
hear you.
Q. How much in your eyes did he grow as a leader
when Justin spoke so forcefully to play for a season
this year?
TREY SERMON: He’s grown a lot. I mean, he took on
that role and he spoke out, and he was trying to do
whatever he could just to make sure we had the
opportunity to play. I mean, that just shows what type of
guy he is.
Everybody on this team respects him, and we know he’s a
great player. He just kind of took on that role, and he’s
been doing a great job.
Q. I’m curious if you would compare your hurdling
skills with Najee Harris and if you were a former track
guy, and if you could go into your decision on why you
chose to leave Oklahoma?
TREY SERMON: I just wanted a better opportunity for
myself, and I felt like it was just a good fit for me to come
here.
Q. This has obviously been an emotional year filled
with some really high highs and some low lows. I’m
wondering if you can just put in perspective for us how
special this opportunity is, how gratifying this is for
you given you guys were fighting just to make sure
you could even play a game this season, let alone have
a chance to play for a National Championship.
TREY SERMON: I mean, it’s very special. This team, this
program, we persevered through so much. To have the
opportunity to play on such a big stage, it means a lot to
us.
We’ve been through a lot. I mean, we fought to just play,
and just to be able to get the job done, to make it to this
level, it just means a lot to us.
We know the job isn’t finished yet, but we’re definitely
excited for the opportunity.
Q. Does this feel to you like a dream, or does it feel
like this is something that you expected all along, or
both?
TREY SERMON: It’s a little bit of both. When I came here,
my goal was to do whatever I can to help this team out and
play for a National Championship. It’s all happened, and it
does kind of seem like a dream.
But it’s just very exciting, just to know that we’ve come this
far as a team. We’ve executed, and we believe in each
other. Just having this opportunity, it’s amazing. We’re all
excited.
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Q. Just wondering what you remember about the time
you played Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Any
memories coming out of that game and anything you
can take into this game from that experience?
TREY SERMON: I still just remember them being a tough,
physical team. I know at the time, I mean, they were flying
around, which is the same that they do now. They fly
around all over the defense.
Another thing that I can take into this game is that it goes
by quick. It’s great competition and the games really go by
fast. You definitely have to execute, and you just have to
make sure that you don’t have any mistakes.
Q. I wonder if you remember watching Zeke’s
postseason run now six years ago? I know you were
just in high school then, if you had any memories of
watching him, and what that’s like to see that you’re
now putting yourself in that same conversation.
TREY SERMON: Yeah, I definitely remember watching it.
It’s just a great feeling. It’s been a lot of great running
backs that have come through here, and Zeke is one of the
best running backs, and just to be in that conversation, it’s
an honor. Those guys are great, and I just feel pretty good
about what I’ve been able to accomplish so far with the
help of my offensive line. Those guys are great, and they
kind of made my job easy, and the tight end, as well.
Q. (No microphone.)
TREY SERMON: They’re a physical group. They’re big
and strong. They fly to the ball. Their linebackers, they
can move well. They’re pretty dynamic. Again, they just fly
to the ball and they make plays.
Q. You were asked earlier about the motivation to kind
of get going, and you said you didn’t feel like you were
contributing, you started practicing harder. Was there
a moment, maybe it was before the Michigan State
game or maybe it was in the Michigan State game,
where that light came on for you and you knew, okay,
now I’m in comfort with the offensive line and now I’ve
got it rolling?
TREY SERMON: It actually started happening, I want to
say, like the week before in practice. I was just feeling
good, just practicing, just hitting the holes and really just
getting in sync with the offensive line.
Once I got that feeling, again, I just started to just try to be
consistent, continued practicing hard, running a little extra,
just doing all of that.
I felt like it translated over, and, I mean, it kind of showed in
the Michigan State game.
Q. I wanted to ask you about your relationship with
Rashad and how he helped you in the off-season, one,
with your footwork, but also just getting your
confidence back to get you to this point. What did you
guys work on, and when did that all come together and
you realized that he really helped you and how much
credit do you give him?
TREY SERMON: Me and Rashad Ford King, we’ve been
working with each other since my freshman year in college.
I’ve kind of worked with him every off-season. Coming off
the injury, we just kind of worked on, I mean, my foot
placement so that I can get my explosiveness back.
Just working with him, doing the different drills and all that
type of stuff, it just made me gain confidence in my knee
after having surgery and everything, and I just kind of felt
good going into the season.
I mean, he pushes me hard. He doesn’t allow me to make
mistakes in drills. If I do, I’ve got to start it back over. He
catches me hard every single day when I was training with
him the entire time. I mean, like if I’m a couple minutes late
he makes me run extra. Like I said, he just coaches me
really hard, and I definitely appreciate him.
Q. Can you just take us back to when you actually got
here and what the last six months have been like? You
get here thinking you’re going to play for a team that’s
going to compete for a National Championship, and
then all of a sudden you’re not playing, and I don’t
know what those emotions were like, and then how the
season has kind of progressed for you? When did you
start to feel comfortable around your teammates?
How have the last six months gone for you as a
transfer who didn’t have a normal season?
TREY SERMON: It was pretty rough in the beginning, just
coming here and not being able to be around everybody,
and then everything gets shut down and then picks back
up. It was pretty rough.
I mean, the guys, they welcomed me in from day one.
Over time, of course I’ve gotten more comfortable with
those guys, and now they’re my brothers. They care about
me a lot. They push me to be better every day in practice.
It’s a good feeling that everything started to progress as the
season went on.
We’re all playing well, and we got to where we wanted to
get to, so everything turned out pretty good. Now we’ve
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just got to finish.
Q. Did that maybe getting comfortable as things kind
of progressed maybe help you on the field, maybe
some of the frustrations you were having there?
TREY SERMON: Yes, I think so. Just getting closer with
the guys on the offensive side of the ball, knowing that I
can trust them. They’re going to do their best for me and
I’m going to do my best for them. I feel like it contributed,
as well.
Q. Who was like major in that, one of the first people
who reached out to you?
TREY SERMON: Really it was just a few people. I mean,
it wasn’t really just one person at once. I built relationships
with really all the receivers, the offensive line, as well. I
mean, just kind of continuing just talking with those guys
and just hanging out with them. It just helped our
relationship grow.
You can see on the field they fight for me and I fight for
them, as well.
Q. It sounds crazy that Ohio State has got something
to prove in this game because you guys have won so
many football games over the years, this program has.
Considering the fact that Dabo Swinney ranked you
guys 11th, Nick Saban ranked you guys fifth, how big
is the chip on this team’s shoulder right now?
TREY SERMON: We have a pretty big chip on our
shoulder. We just feel like we’re — we feel like we’re one of
the best teams in the country. We just try to go prove that
every time we step on the field. We all believe in each
other.
Yes, we have that chip and we play with it.
Tuf Borland
Q. Ryan just said as good as you guys played against
Clemson, you’ll have to be even better against
Alabama. From a defensive standpoint I’m sure there’s
a number of things that stand out when you watch
them, but what are the one or two things that stand out
the most from the Crimson Tide offense?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, unbelievable team, unbelievable
players. They’ve got talent all over the place; big, physical
offensive line; playmakers on the perimeter.
Coach Day said we’re going to have to play our best game.
We’re going to have to play our best game this week.
We’re going to have to find another level for sure.
Q. I want to ask you about Justin Hilliard. You guys
have both overcome a lot, and he’s overcome even
more than you have. Can you kind of speak to his
journey and what it means to everybody on the team to
see him succeed the way he has and how well is he
playing right now?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, he’s a guy that’s pretty much seen
it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, he’s seen it all. He’s
fought through so much on and off the field, and to see the
success that he’s having, it’s awesome.
Justin, he’s an unbelievable player, but he’s an
unbelievable person, as well. Again, just to see the
success that he’s having, one, nobody is surprised
because of how hard he works, and two, he just deserves
everything that comes his way because he’s a warrior,
always has been, and he’s getting everything he deserves.
Q. Coach Day just described how basically Justin’s
leadership skills have developed, how he won over the
team. I wonder if you would talk about that, just
maybe starting with the Michigan game where he came
back from that hit and I think hit Garrett Wilson for a
big gain or a touchdown, and just playing with the ribs
this week. What kind of leader is he?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, he’s a guy that’s come in, since
day one he’s been here he’s done everything that the
coaches have asked of him. Really built that trust and that
respect of everyone in the program. You can go every
week. He’s always battling something, and you guys saw
it. It was one of the gutsiest performances from a player
that I can remember in my time here.
So you can’t say enough good things about Justin and
what he’s doing and what he means to this program.
Q. If I’m not wrong on this, I think you committed to
Ohio State a few months after they won the national
title against Oregon, and I’m wondering what that run
meant to you and maybe what specifically seeing Ohio
State beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that year did to
alter your perception of Ohio State’s program at all.
TUF BORLAND: I mean, sure, it was cool to see them
have the success that they did have that year, but that
wasn’t a deal breaker for me, whether or not they were
going to win. I think you win with people, and that’s why I
ultimately chose this place, just how special the people are.
Flash forward five, five and a half years later, we have an
opportunity to do that again. But Alabama is a great team.
We have a great challenge ahead of us. So we’re going to
have to have our best week of practice and play our best
game.
Q. It’s pretty remarkable how far this front seven and
linebackers have come since this time two years ago.
How much credit does Al Washington get for that, and
what has he been like as your position coach?
TUF BORLAND: Coach Washington has been amazing.
Deserves a lot of credit in what we’ve done. Day in, day
out he’s always there for us. Just the way he approaches
his business every day, with the energy, the passion. It’s
truly contagious, and I think it just shows in how we’ve kind
of taken off in this last season. I give him a lot of credit.
Q. I heard you were talking about the skill that
Alabama has on the perimeter there. Just wondering if
you can talk to how you guys are going to have to
103804-1-1041 2021-01-04 19:30:00 GMT Page 1 of 2
control that kind of explosiveness they have on
Monday.
TUF BORLAND: I mean, I don’t want to get too into
specifics, but we talk about keeping them inside of us and
keeping them in front of us, and that’s certainly something
we’re going to have to do this week.
Q. More on that aspect of the game, when a team has
an established big-time back like Najee Harris, how
does it change your focus? I know you’re always
focused on stopping the run, et cetera, but how does it
change your focus as a play starts to know there’s a
big-time running back back there like pretty much
Alabama is going to be looking at Ohio State in the
same way with Trey Sermon?
TUF BORLAND: Yeah, got to be locked in every play
because he can hurt you. He’s a bigger back, like you
said, but he shows great patience and great acceleration
when he wants to turn it up into the hole. Huge challenge.
He’s a great player.
And a great offensive line, as well. I know we’ll have to be
ready for the challenge.
Q. Just what kind of a confidence boost did the
Clemson game give this defense, and did you feel like
it was something that this defense needed to see after
just how choppy the second half of the season had
gone?
TUF BORLAND: I mean, I think we’ve always had
confidence in ourselves. I think it just showed us kind of
what we’re capable. I think we’ve always believed we can
compete with anybody in the country on any particular
week.
We practiced against the best offense in the country every
week, so we have confidence we can compete with
everyone. Yeah.
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