What We Learned: Takeaways from Ohio State football's press conference with Day, Knowles

Ohio State will be short-handed against Rutgers this Saturday when the Buckeyes play their second straight road game.

Coach Ryan Day said running back Miyan Williams will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. It also appears almost certain that safety Lathan Ransom will miss time with a lower leg or foot injury sustained in last week’s 24-10 victory at Wisconsin.

Injury updates were a primary topic as Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles had their weekly press conference. Here are five things we learned:

Egbuka expected back −really

Day has expressed optimism about the return of Emeka Egbuka the last couple of weeks, only to have the receiver remain on the sideline. Day all but promised after the Wisconsin game that Egbuka would play against Rutgers, and Egbuka seems on track to do so.

“We’re expecting him to practice this week,” Day said. “He was available for the game on Saturday. We just didn’t feel he was quite where he needed to be. We had a bunch of guys step up for him. We’re looking for a full day of work today and a full week. Going in, we want him to be full go.”

More: Everything you need to know ahead of Ohio State's game against Rutgers

The return of Egbuka, who has 22 catches for 303 yards and three touchdowns in five games, would take some of the pressure off Marvin Harrison Jr., who has been the focal point of opposing defenses.

“He’s working hard,” Day said. “He’s a tremendous young man. The attitude he’s had, he wants to get on the field. He has forced others to pull him back. That’s the attitude you want to have. That’s a great sign for your team when guys are fighting to get back on the field.”

McCord fighting through ankle injury

Quarterback Kyle McCord was seen limping and then wincing on the sideline with an apparent left ankle injury during the Wisconsin game. But he gutted it out, even if with two interceptions it wasn’t his best performance.

“This time of year, you’re going to have bumps and bruises and things,” Day said. “There’s a difference between being hurt and injured. He’s another example of a guy who really fought through it and showed toughness in that game.

“Once you get to November, that’s what’s going to happen. You’ve got to play depth and guys have to work through those things.”

Backup Devin Brown sprained his ankle in the Penn State game and was expected to miss at least a couple of weeks. Day said the plan was for Brown to return to practice Tuesday, though he did not say whether he might be available against Rutgers.

Adjusting without Ransom

Ransom hopped to the sideline with a non-contact injury in the second half against Wisconsin. He was carted to the locker room but later was seen walking on the sideline without assistance.

Ransom has been integral to Ohio State’s defense this year, teaming with Josh Proctor and Sonny Styles in Knowles’ safety-driven defense.

“We’ll probably have an update later in the week,” Day said of Ransom’s injury, which appeared to be to his foot. “We’re still trying to figure out the timeline on that. We definitely have a better idea – just not definitive.”

Styles and cornerback Jordan Hancock have been used in the nickel spot. Both have versatility. Hancock played well at outside corner when Denzel Burke missed the Penn State game. Styles has played a traditional deep safety role at times.

“They’ve both proven themselves in a lot of different dimensions, so I don’t have any concerns about it,” Knowles said.

Offensive line is progressing

Ohio State’s offensive line remains inconsistent, but Day said it made progress against Wisconsin. TreVeyon Henderson ran for 162 yards.

More: Cheap shot? Here's the play vs. Notre Dame that injured Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson

“I think we took a step this week,” he said. “Where we go from here, we’ll see, but I thought we ran off the ball better. I thought we got good movement. Tre ran hard, and that combination of things really helped boost our run game.”

Still, it wasn’t flawless. According to Pro Football Focus, McCord was pressured eight times and hit four times. On the second play of the game, all three interior linemen blocked the same pass-rusher while a blitzer came unblocked.

Day said the play might have worked if center Carson Hinzman’s snap hadn’t been low. That caused McCord to take his eyes off the defense. He threw the ball away rather than take a sack.

“Every play, you can identify where the faults are,” Day said. “There’s enough to go around. There are (also) some good things, for sure. There are some things to get better at. But overall, certainly in the run game, there was a lot of progress. Some things in the pass game, we certainly have to get better.”

Defense not resting on laurels

Knowles’ defense continued its superb play against Wisconsin, but it’s not taking a victory lap just yet.

“There’s no time for celebration,” he said.

The Buckeyes rank second nationally in scoring defense (10.0 points per game), not allowing more than 17 in any game. They are fourth in yardage allowed (260).

“You’re always highlighting those things you’re doing well,” Knowles said, “and you’re fixing things you can get better at. It’s praise, praise, correct. Praise, praise, correct.

“When you have more of the positives to highlight, I think it helps.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What We Learned: Highlights from Ohio State football press conference