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B1G Thoughts: How should Ohio State fans feel about Ryan Day?
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Oregon and Ohio State gave us a ‘Game of the Year’ contender. What does that mean for Ryan Day?
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Ohio State just went to Eugene Oregon and lost a 32-31 thriller after quarterback Will Howard failed to slide with enough time on the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal. I know that I should be writing positive things about Oregon, here but I’ll save that for another column.
After another close loss, Ohio State fans are at each other’s throats on Twitter, some believing Day is still the one who was promised and others ready to meet at his home with pitchforks to walk him to the John Glenn airport. The unfortunate reality is that they are both partially right, and the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Since the COVID season, Ryan Day is 0-3 against Michigan and without a Big Ten championship. He also has two losses to Oregon, lost to Georgia in the playoff semi-finals and had a no-show against Missouri in a bowl game after not making the playoffs last season.
In the last three and a half seasons, Day has played 14 games against top 25 programs. He is 7-7 with three wins over Penn State, a team that Ohio State fans don’t respect, two wins over Notre Dame, a win over an overrated Michigan State team, and a come-from-behind win at Utah. Of those seven wins, which was the most impressive? Which win truly matters?
In his other seven games, all losses came against Michigan, Oregon, Georgia and a bad loss to Mizzou. Besides the Missouri loss, and this most recent loss to Oregon — as the season isn’t over — Day’s five losses have cost Ohio State three big-time championships, two playoff berths, and a place in the national championship against a TCU team they would’ve obliterated. So what is more important to you? Beating Penn State, Notre Dame, and Utah, games that are essentially meaningless, or losing to your biggest rival and the top of the food chain.
It is true that Ryan Day has never lost a game to an unranked opponent, he beats almost everyone he plays as evidenced by his .871 winning percentage in 70 games. Ryan Day has a clear high floor at Ohio State. He will always be one of the top five programs in the nation. Does that matter if that’s also his ceiling?
Another close loss that could’ve easily gone Ohio State’s way leads you to a dilemma. Do you believe that Day is facing bad luck and eventually the close losses have to swing in his favor? Or do you believe that he is his biggest enemy and Ohio State will never get out of its way causing more frustration as they continue to butt heads against its ceiling.
Personally, I don’t know where I stand. I have a hard time believing that Day will be able to fix his constant mistakes. At the same time, I look at the sport and see coaches like James Franklin, Lincoln Riley, Marcus Freeman, Brian Kelly, Mike Norvell, Dabo Swinney, and Brent Venables and I can’t think of another coach I would rather have. Therein lies the dilemma.
Do you wait and see if Ryan Day can finally break through? I mean, it took Michael Jordan and LeBron James seven years to win a championship, and they’re the greatest to ever do it. Or do you cut your losses now before it gets too late and try to find a better coach who can capitalize on the Nick Saban-sized hole in the sport?
If there is anything that can make me feel better about Ryan Day, it’s Lincoln Riley. For much of their careers they have been compared due to the fact they both took over dominant programs from Hall of Fame head coaches as young hot-shot offensive coordinators. Despite their prowess in recruiting and quarterback development, a lot of their success was hand-waved away by having been given the ‘keys to a Ferrari’.
To many Ohio State fans, Day has not lived up to his promise, but he is far and away been more successful than Lincoln Riley. At this point, the biggest difference is Day’s ability to admit he’s wrong and make changes. He doesn’t always get the changes right, but he is not nearly as stubborn as Riley.
Day also owns up to his mistakes and the pressure of leading his program, while Riley continues throwing fits and trying to ban reporters for being too harsh on his program or asking his players questions about pivotal moments in the game like Minnesota’s quarterback sneak.
You can make the argument that Day, like Riley, failed to capitalize on his most talented quarterback ever, but Day won 11 games in back-to-back years, Stroud was a two-time Heisman finalist, and they played Georgia well, losing by one point. Riley on the other hand never made the playoffs with Caleb Williams, and finished his final year at 7-6.
Day recognized that his defense needed to be revamped, and paid two million dollars for Jim Knowles. He realized that he needed to give up play calling, and hired Bill O’Brien and then landed Chip Kelly when B.O.B. left for Boston College. Riley is still calling plays and just changed his defensive staff, and even that decision was questionable as his staff construction makes little to no sense.
Already in 2024, Riley is 3-3 with losses to Michigan and Minnesota — two programs that will be lucky to reach seven wins. To make matters worse, they had Penn State on upset notice, but Riley once again lost a close game with questionable play calling and coaching decisions, ending the game with all three of his time outs.
Riley and USC have yet to show that they can compete in the Big Ten where every program is physical and tough on the lines of scrimmage, even the bad ones like Minnesota and Northwestern. Sitting a 3-3, USC still has to play Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame. With how they’re playing so far, the only win they should feel confident about is an awful UCLA program.
Riley would be lucky to end this season 7-5. So far he has disappointed as USC’s head coach, and the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly disappearing.
Penn State’s offense has not lived up to the hype over the first half of the 2024 season, but they are undefeated and the No. 3 team in the country with their playoff hopes in front of them and a seat in the Big Ten Championship still on the table if they can beat Ohio State.
For most of the game it looked like USC was going to win, but star tight end Tyler Warren put the team on his back in a herculean effort that saw him haul in 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. Warren played tight end, quarterback, ran the ball, and even snapped the ball on the play he caught his only touchdown.
Warren kept Penn State in this game and ultimately won the game to end USC’s upset bid. It was one of the best single-handed displays of talent I’ve ever seen. I’m sure his back hurts. Hopefully he spends a little extra time in the training room as they head into the off week, as he needs all the rest he can get after that performance.
Lost in a busy weekend, Purdue and Illinois played an epic game that ended in overtime with the final score of 50-49 after Illinois stopped Purdue on a two-point play to win the game.
Illinois quarterback Luke Alymyer threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns with 60 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. Purdue started a freshman at quarterback, and all he did was throw for 297 yards and three touchdowns with 118 yards on the ground as well. Purdue had two 100-yard rushers as they carried the ball for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 7.5 yards per carry.
I’m going to have to go back and watch this game, as these stats would be impressive on air. Can anyone confirm that both teams fielded a defense? This game will get lost as it was a largely meaningless matchup and was overshadowed in its conference by Ohio State and Oregon, but it was an awesome display of offense.
Illinois continues their strong season, moving to 5-1, as Purdue may have found its quarterback of the future in freshman Ryan Browne.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
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JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images
Oregon and Ohio State gave us a ‘Game of the Year’ contender. What does that mean for Ryan Day?
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
The Ryan Day Dilemma Continues
Ohio State just went to Eugene Oregon and lost a 32-31 thriller after quarterback Will Howard failed to slide with enough time on the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal. I know that I should be writing positive things about Oregon, here but I’ll save that for another column.
After another close loss, Ohio State fans are at each other’s throats on Twitter, some believing Day is still the one who was promised and others ready to meet at his home with pitchforks to walk him to the John Glenn airport. The unfortunate reality is that they are both partially right, and the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Since the COVID season, Ryan Day is 0-3 against Michigan and without a Big Ten championship. He also has two losses to Oregon, lost to Georgia in the playoff semi-finals and had a no-show against Missouri in a bowl game after not making the playoffs last season.
In the last three and a half seasons, Day has played 14 games against top 25 programs. He is 7-7 with three wins over Penn State, a team that Ohio State fans don’t respect, two wins over Notre Dame, a win over an overrated Michigan State team, and a come-from-behind win at Utah. Of those seven wins, which was the most impressive? Which win truly matters?
In his other seven games, all losses came against Michigan, Oregon, Georgia and a bad loss to Mizzou. Besides the Missouri loss, and this most recent loss to Oregon — as the season isn’t over — Day’s five losses have cost Ohio State three big-time championships, two playoff berths, and a place in the national championship against a TCU team they would’ve obliterated. So what is more important to you? Beating Penn State, Notre Dame, and Utah, games that are essentially meaningless, or losing to your biggest rival and the top of the food chain.
It is true that Ryan Day has never lost a game to an unranked opponent, he beats almost everyone he plays as evidenced by his .871 winning percentage in 70 games. Ryan Day has a clear high floor at Ohio State. He will always be one of the top five programs in the nation. Does that matter if that’s also his ceiling?
Another close loss that could’ve easily gone Ohio State’s way leads you to a dilemma. Do you believe that Day is facing bad luck and eventually the close losses have to swing in his favor? Or do you believe that he is his biggest enemy and Ohio State will never get out of its way causing more frustration as they continue to butt heads against its ceiling.
Personally, I don’t know where I stand. I have a hard time believing that Day will be able to fix his constant mistakes. At the same time, I look at the sport and see coaches like James Franklin, Lincoln Riley, Marcus Freeman, Brian Kelly, Mike Norvell, Dabo Swinney, and Brent Venables and I can’t think of another coach I would rather have. Therein lies the dilemma.
Do you wait and see if Ryan Day can finally break through? I mean, it took Michael Jordan and LeBron James seven years to win a championship, and they’re the greatest to ever do it. Or do you cut your losses now before it gets too late and try to find a better coach who can capitalize on the Nick Saban-sized hole in the sport?
Losing Lincoln Riley
If there is anything that can make me feel better about Ryan Day, it’s Lincoln Riley. For much of their careers they have been compared due to the fact they both took over dominant programs from Hall of Fame head coaches as young hot-shot offensive coordinators. Despite their prowess in recruiting and quarterback development, a lot of their success was hand-waved away by having been given the ‘keys to a Ferrari’.
To many Ohio State fans, Day has not lived up to his promise, but he is far and away been more successful than Lincoln Riley. At this point, the biggest difference is Day’s ability to admit he’s wrong and make changes. He doesn’t always get the changes right, but he is not nearly as stubborn as Riley.
Day also owns up to his mistakes and the pressure of leading his program, while Riley continues throwing fits and trying to ban reporters for being too harsh on his program or asking his players questions about pivotal moments in the game like Minnesota’s quarterback sneak.
You can make the argument that Day, like Riley, failed to capitalize on his most talented quarterback ever, but Day won 11 games in back-to-back years, Stroud was a two-time Heisman finalist, and they played Georgia well, losing by one point. Riley on the other hand never made the playoffs with Caleb Williams, and finished his final year at 7-6.
Day recognized that his defense needed to be revamped, and paid two million dollars for Jim Knowles. He realized that he needed to give up play calling, and hired Bill O’Brien and then landed Chip Kelly when B.O.B. left for Boston College. Riley is still calling plays and just changed his defensive staff, and even that decision was questionable as his staff construction makes little to no sense.
Already in 2024, Riley is 3-3 with losses to Michigan and Minnesota — two programs that will be lucky to reach seven wins. To make matters worse, they had Penn State on upset notice, but Riley once again lost a close game with questionable play calling and coaching decisions, ending the game with all three of his time outs.
Riley and USC have yet to show that they can compete in the Big Ten where every program is physical and tough on the lines of scrimmage, even the bad ones like Minnesota and Northwestern. Sitting a 3-3, USC still has to play Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame. With how they’re playing so far, the only win they should feel confident about is an awful UCLA program.
Riley would be lucky to end this season 7-5. So far he has disappointed as USC’s head coach, and the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly disappearing.
Someone give Tyler Warren an Ibuprofen and some Icy Hot!
Penn State’s offense has not lived up to the hype over the first half of the 2024 season, but they are undefeated and the No. 3 team in the country with their playoff hopes in front of them and a seat in the Big Ten Championship still on the table if they can beat Ohio State.
For most of the game it looked like USC was going to win, but star tight end Tyler Warren put the team on his back in a herculean effort that saw him haul in 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. Warren played tight end, quarterback, ran the ball, and even snapped the ball on the play he caught his only touchdown.
Warren kept Penn State in this game and ultimately won the game to end USC’s upset bid. It was one of the best single-handed displays of talent I’ve ever seen. I’m sure his back hurts. Hopefully he spends a little extra time in the training room as they head into the off week, as he needs all the rest he can get after that performance.
What just happened and how did we get here?
Lost in a busy weekend, Purdue and Illinois played an epic game that ended in overtime with the final score of 50-49 after Illinois stopped Purdue on a two-point play to win the game.
Illinois quarterback Luke Alymyer threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns with 60 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. Purdue started a freshman at quarterback, and all he did was throw for 297 yards and three touchdowns with 118 yards on the ground as well. Purdue had two 100-yard rushers as they carried the ball for 239 yards and two touchdowns on 7.5 yards per carry.
I’m going to have to go back and watch this game, as these stats would be impressive on air. Can anyone confirm that both teams fielded a defense? This game will get lost as it was a largely meaningless matchup and was overshadowed in its conference by Ohio State and Oregon, but it was an awesome display of offense.
Illinois continues their strong season, moving to 5-1, as Purdue may have found its quarterback of the future in freshman Ryan Browne.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...