Ohio State Ryan Day Arrive

ATLANTA — Ohio State hasn’t played Georgia since 1992, but Coach Ryan Day made it clear the Buckeyes know what to expect.

The Bulldogs’ physicality is not going to catch Ohio State off guard when the teams meet at 8 p.m. on Saturday in the CFP Peach Bowl Semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“The good news is we have great experience being in this style of game,” said Day, whose program plays in a Big Ten conference known best for its smash-mouth style of football.

Further, as Day pointed out, the Buckeyes’ program is actually more familiar with the College Football Playoff than Georgia over the past four years.

“This is our third time playing in the CFP in the last four years,” said Day, whose Ohio State team beat Clemson in 2020 before losing to Alabama, 52-24, in the CFP Championship game.

That Crimson Tide offense, however, was much different than Georgia’s — it featured five first-round NFL Draft picks and three of the top five Heisman Trophy vote-getters.

The 2022 Bulldogs’ meanwhile, have only one offensive starter projected in the first round of the upcoming draft — offensive tackle Broderick Jones.

That could be why Day seems poised and confident entering into this matchup.

“They’re defending national champs and certainly undefeated this year,” Day said, “So we know what we’re up against, and we’ll continue to prepare for that.”

The Georgia defensive line, in particular, has the attention of the Ohio State head coach.

“When you look at their defensive line, first off, you see some really good players with really good size, but you also see multiple people that can play,” Day said, noting UGA’s elite depth at tackle. “You see really two, sometimes three deep each of the positions inside.

“I think they do a great job with their hands. I think they do a good job with their pad level, and they try to just eat up as many gaps as possible and try to create a mess inside, and they do a good job of that.”

All-American Jalen Carter has been projected as high as No. 1 overall in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, and while Day didn’t mention him by name on Monday, it’s a sure bet he has No. 88 circled on the scouting report.

“We know we’ve got to play our best game up front,” Day said. “.We know what the challenge is, and certainly some great players over there.”

Ohio State’s team plane arrived on Sunday night and players continued to get into Atlanta on Monday, with the team holding its first on-site practice.