Ryan Day Could Have Coached His Last Season at Ohio State
It is always biggest game of the season for Ryan Day when the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines.
However, for the fourth straight season, Day is proving he does not know how to coach in the big moments in the biggest game of the season. His job security is coming into question with Ohio State.
With Chip Kelly be his side as the offensive coordinator, there was no excuse for Ohio State to lose to Michigan. Yet, the Buckeyes fell to Michigan 13-10 and will not qualify for the Big 10 Championship. While the record of 10-2 is a good one, there was no excuse for Day and the Buckeyes to lose to this Michigan team.
The defense for Michigan was not as good as last year. No J.J. McCarthy, No Jim Harbaugh, and certainly no Blake Corum, but yet Ohio State came up short. Give credit to Michigan who held Ohio State to 252 total yards including just 77 rushing yards.
The Buckeyes have one of the best running backs in the nation in TreVeyon Henderson. He was held to just 21 yards while Quishon Judkins was held to 46 yards rushing.
Around Full Press Media
College: AP Top 25 College Football Poll
NFL: Source: Giants Reached for Daniel Jones in 2019
NFL: Saquon Barkley Continues to Leave His Mark
NFL: Time for the New York Giants to Clean House
PODCAST: Around the Grid Iron College Football Podcast
WANT MORE PODCASTS? Night Cap Recap
Receiving wise, Jeremiah Smith had 35 yards receiving and a touchdown. Emeka Egbuka had just 51 yards receiving. And while everyone wants to point to the two missed field goals, those should not have mattered with the talent on the field and the coaching staff.
That is inexcusable considering the roster the Buckeyes have. Not to mention the $20 million in NIL money they shelled out to assemble this roster. But hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.
And this year he was not calling the plays. Kelly was and everything was aligned for them to beat Michigan. Ohio State 19 point favorites and yet they still came up short.
It is just not this year too. This is a mental thing for Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He does things differently in the Michigan game than he does in any other game as Justin Ryan Gonzalez stated on the Around Campus College Football Podcast.
Ryan Day the thing is, and the biggest thing is I'll tell you what Ohio State, and specifically Ryan Day, they play and coach differently against Michigan than they do against every other team they play. It's become mental at this point. And you could see it with Ryan Day’s body language and specifically his play calling.
You saw it on that fourth and one and on opponents, 46 yard territory, where he decided to get rid of the ball. You compare that to Kalen DeBoer at Washington, who this past weekend on fourth and one from his own 29 reverse to Rome Odunze, 40 yards. He was coaching free and he was coaching to win.
Ryan Day against Michigan is clearly coaching not to lose and against any other team in the country, he would have gone for it right there, because in that exact same scenario last year against Georgia, he went for three separate times. So at a point where he's coaching differently against Michigan does not know how to show up in the big game. He coaches sacred and coaches differently than he does in the rest of the regular season. Day coaches not to lose instead of coaching to win.
But it's got to a point where his whole job now is down to one game next year, regardless of what happens.
That game next year has come and gone and he lost it again. Now the Buckeyes and Ryan Day will go to the playoff, but you have to wonder what people at Ohio State are thinking.
It is inexcusable to lose to your rival four straight seasons and in the manner they lost. The defense gives up a ton of rushing yards to set up the game winning field.
Even if he wins a playoff round or two or even the National Title, his job might not be safe as he is proving he can’t get it done in the big moment.