Ryan Day Felt Max Klare Played His “Best Game” at Purdue, Sees Continued Growth from Ohio State’s Running Backs

A return to his original school awakened the best play yet from Max Klare since his transfer to Ohio State this spring.

Klare picked up five receptions for 59 yards with several key blocks that don’t get credited in that stat line, and his head coach, Ryan Day, took notice.As Day put it in his weekly appearance on 97.1 the Fan’s Buckeye Roundtable Show on Monday, Klare is “peaking at the right time.”

Day also touched on the improvements he saw from Ohio State’s running backs and on the performances of several other players, including Jeremiah Smith, Jayden Fielding and Payton Pierce.

On what he was most happy with from Saturday’s performance: “I thought, going into halftime up (24) to three, finishing off a pretty good end of the half … thought that was well-done. We held the ball for over 40 minutes in the game, controlled the game. Would have liked to see us finish off those drives. … Our guys started the game with a lot of energy and played hard … been consistent up to this point.”

On Jeremiah Smith: “Give him a lot of credit for the work he puts in every day and the timing he has with Julian (Sayin), because they’re really on the same page. … He understands in order to put it on the field, there’s a certain level of timing and chemistry that you have to have with the quarterback. … It’s just tremendous to see what he does every game and how he works.”

Day felt Klare took another step while playing against his former team. “It was good to see Max make some really nice plays. … I thought he probably played his best game. Blocked really well. … I think his confidence is growing and he’s peaking at the right time.”

On Payton Pierce: “Graded out (a champion). … He’s getting better every week. Good tackler … he understands leverage and how to get guys on the ground. … He’s diagnosing plays better and getting faster.

Day thought that Ohio State’s running backs showed improved elusiveness against the Boilermakers. “These running backs haven’t played a lot of football and we’re going to need them down the stretch … I did think there was improvement there. They ran harder, physical.” Day specifically pointed to a pair of Bo Jackson third-down runs where he ran over defenders.

On CJ Donaldson: “We’ve seen him play on first and second down, but he’s very good in situations. … I thought he ran hard when he was down there (near the goal line). … He was running physical … he really dropped his hips and finished the block on Lincoln (Kienholz’s) touchdown.”

Day thought kicker Jayden Fielding’s performance should give him more confidence for the future. “Everyone’s got a job to do and it’s very important that, when your number gets called, you’ve got to finish the play. … Should give him confidence. … Everyone on the team believes in him.”

On UCLA’s pass defense: “They’re getting more and more dialed in to what (defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle) wants, and they’re playing hard. … We know they’re going to come in Saturday night and play a tough game.”