"This is about these guys": Ohio State HC Ryan Day credits players for dominant win over Oregon in Rose Bowl

Ryan Day’s Ohio State recorded another dominant College Football Playoff win on New Year’s Day. The No. 6 Buckeyes defeated the No. 1 Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday to advance to the semifinal of the playoff where they’ll play in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

While there was a lot of praise on how Ohio State's coaching staff executed the game, Ryan Day believes the bigger credit goes to the players. In his postgame press conference, the coach commended his players for the way they were played out on the field in Pasadena.

“I thought Chip called a great game,” Day said via oregonlive.com. “I thought the whole offensive staff worked hard to put the plan together. But ultimately it comes down to the players putting it on the field. I’ve said that all along. I think sometimes in this game coaches get too much attention.

“This is about these guys right here. A lot of good plays out there, but they’ve got to make it work. And I thought they really put it on the field and we came out aggressive," he added.

After defeating Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoffs, the Buckeyes scored 40 points again in the Rose Bowl to further light up their CFP campaign. They've begun to play like the team many anticipated during the offseason.

Ryan Day discusses managing adversity ahead of CFP

After losing to Michigan for the fourth consecutive time, Ryan Day came under fire within the Columbus fanbase ahead of the playoffs. Many fans relentlessly called for him to be fired while the team prepared for the playoffs.

Two games in the expanded CFP format, Ohio State has been the most dominant team. Ryan Day discussed how he and his team have managed the pressure coming into the playoffs.

“In this game, there are ups and downs along the way, and when things are going good you’ve got to hug the guys you love the most and when things aren’t, you’ve got to hug them even harder,” Day said. “And you just hang in there and you keep swinging.

“I talked to these guys about it a couple of weeks ago. That’s life. And this team is resilient. And when you surround yourself with great people, with great character, you find yourself working through difficult times. At the end of the day, we wanted to win a national championship," he added.

Ohio State faces another tough test in the next stage of the playoff as it comes up against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns have been one of the most balanced teams this season. However, the Buckeyes now seem to have the momentum to face the challenge.