I’ve been an Ohio State fan since I was around 10 years old, I’m now 35.
I’ve seen my fair share of devastating losses. They aren’t new to me, just rare.
I vividly remember the first time I watched us lose to TTUN, it was the 2011 season and a kid from my hometown, Courtney Avery snagged the game winning interception for the Wolverines (That made it hurt worse)
I was there in Atlanta the night we lost to Georgia in the CFP.
I was there in 2024 for the 13-10 meltdown to TTUN.
In every one of those games, you just kind of knew what was bound to happen. Maybe not prior to the game, but at some point, early on, you just knew.
It’s a certain feeling you just can’t describe.
Last night was one of those nights. Everything seemed to be going the Buckeyes way, up 23 – 3, dominating on defense. Jeremiah Smith was having a heck of a night, everything on the outside looked great, no way they could blow that, right? RIGHT?
Wrong.
Ryan Day of old peered his head around the corner and decided to make an unwanted appearance. He made decisions not to lose, instead of going for the kill. He’s done that numerous times throughout his career and allowed games to either slip away or be significantly closer than they deserved to be.
After the game, as I sat there in silence reading all of the comments from reporters all around the world, one thing in particular stood out to me, and I think it’s what’s holding Ryan Day back from truly being an ELITE level HC.
Prior to the game, Day was asked by a sideline reporter about what they needed to expect in a game of that magnitude. Day promptly answered that he told his guys to expect a battle for all 4 quarters. He said the same thing in the CFP game against Texas back in 2024. In fact, that phrase seems to be a favorite of Day. It might feel like a respectful, innocent comment, but I think it might be Day’s biggest weakness.
It’s instilling the wrong mindset, it lacks any killer instinct, and you saw the results of it last night.
When Ohio State had Texas on the ropes, back against the wall, and a chance to step on their throat, they didn’t. They allowed an extremely talented Texas team off the hook time and time again. A missed FG, punting from the 30ish yard line of Texas instead of going for it or kicking the FG. The defense being unable to stop Texas two different times on 4th & 9, and 4th & 6. There are a lot of areas you can blame last night’s catastrophic loss on, but I think it largely looms on the mindset that Day has spent years molding into the brains of this program, and it needs to change asap.
Who says that these games need to be close? Why do we have to be prepared for a battle all game long? Why can’t this program just go out and dominate their opponent from start to finish? Urban Meyer infamously told his players similar things prior to their biggest games. He’d often say, “Who says we have to keep this thing close?” and for a long time, I never saw the difference between the comments. Just felt like a Coach trying to prep their team the way they knew how, but I’ve grown tired of seeing Day shrink this team’s potential on the biggest stage due to a fear of failure. Coach Day does a lot of things the right way, but his biggest setback is maybe one of the most important ones, he has zero killer instinct.
That has to change, and if it doesn’t, let me be the first to warn you not to look ahead at what the Buckeyes have coming up this season.
It doesn’t get any better.
It’s time to decide whether you’re going to kill or be killed.
And I beg you not to die.
