HC Ryan Day (B1G Coach of Year, B1G Champion, National Champion)

[Jaxbuck]

As a person who travels a LOT for work, I agree that travel haze is a thing.

But there are also things that you do to hold your routine that can offset the brain fog. Day has talked about that. Somehow last night you didn't see it. Didn't see it vs Texas. But there have been home games as well this season (Maryland, Illinois) where the team looked jetlagged.

Nothing is absolute but neither are the supposed cures for it.

East coast to west coast travel is tough and a lot of that is built in body stuff that sometimes will listen to our interventions and sometimes just flat out ignores them.

The travel fog in sports isn't an excuse but its a factor. 1st half fades of teams going west to east and playing an early game are a thing.

 

[shetuck]

Nothing is absolute but neither are the supposed cures for it.

East coast to west coast travel is tough and a lot of that is built in body stuff that sometimes will listen to our interventions and sometimes just flat out ignores them.

The travel fog in sports isn't an excuse but its a factor. 1st half fades of teams going west to east and playing an early game are a thing.

A day recovery for each hour time difference. It's worse in one direction than the other.

What that means, for example, is that the team needs to go out to LA on Tuesday rather than Thursday, at least. Is there a logistical reason they can't do that?

 

[Mike80]

11 penalties (9 on offense, 3? in the red zone) is not scheme. Four (?) huge dropped passes is not scheme. Trying to punch the ball out instead of tackling is not scheme.

It's players either not being ready, mentally, or not able to settle in. The coaches put the players in a position to win but they didn't execute*.

Just an alternate theory from "it's on the coaches". The team not being ready, mentally, is on the coaches. The players not executing and making tactical mistakes is not on the coaches.

* I'm not even convinced that the play call on the 1 yard line on the series at the end of the 2nd quarter was the coaches. I think that could have been Jackson deciding to bounce it outside. And that is maybe the story of the game... a lot of players trying to make things happen, going off script, and not being able to execute.

My comment was concerning the defense….

 

[Jaxbuck]

A day recovery for each hour time difference. It's worse in one direction than the other.

What that means, for example, is that the team needs to go out to LA on Tuesday rather than Thursday, at least. Is there a logistical reason they can't do that?

I don't think they can. I was under the impression they go Thursday or Friday for a Saturday game.

 

[shetuck]

My comment was concerning the defense….

Oops. Right. I see that now.

The defense doesn't seem to be able to do more than one thing at a time.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

-It looks like that absurd outlier of room talent has possibly been masking a steady deterioration of group talent across the rest of the roster.

I’ve been realizing this more and more. It’s the biggest issue coupled with some reoccurring in-game coaching mistakes.

The drop off at RB after ‘24 has been rough. Shouldn’t have been starting Bo last year, and they needed someone with another gear to be RB1 this season. The run blocking has improved quite a bit, but without any 30+ yard runs since the opener, it’s really hampered the offense. The only big plays have come from intermediate and deep passes, and almost all to Smith.

I can give the defense a break after replacing some incredible talents last year, but the staff can’t allow these lulls in edge talent. It’s limiting and gives the D no margin for error.

The good thing is the freshman and sophomore classes either have some stars in the making, or more potential than the upperclassmen.

 

[BUCK3YE5]

I like Day like I assume most here do and his record is pretty unassailable, but it's just the same issues that keep popping up over and over again in big games

On one hand, I agree...on the other hand, I actually think this is giving too much credit for what happened last night.

This was easily the worst performance in the Day era, IMO. The team simply didn't show up. Fitting it was on Halloween because that looked like a group of random people dressed up as Buckeyes. So, that was new.

But, yes, the same old issues are still there. Redzone playcalling is still a disaster. Game management, still a disaster. Offensive line play, disaster. Special teams, disaster. Downfield passing game may be a new disaster too.

I do suspect the team will bounce back (to an extent) but the ceiling (and apparently, the floor) is quite a bit lower without Sayin.

Day has some massive tasks ahead of him: finishing this season the right way, handling the coaching staff, hitting the portal for a QB. It is going to be a busy few months.

 

[pnuts34]

On one hand, I agree...on the other hand, I actually think this is giving too much credit for what happened last night.

This was easily the worst performance in the Day era, IMO. The team simply didn't show up. Fitting it was on Halloween because that looked like a group of random people dressed up as Buckeyes. So, that was new.

But, yes, the same old issues are still there. Redzone playcalling is still a disaster. Game management, still a disaster. Offensive line play, disaster. Special teams, disaster. Downfield passing game may be a new disaster too.

I do suspect the team will bounce back (to an extent) but the ceiling (and apparently, the floor) is quite a bit lower without Sayin.

Day has some massive tasks ahead of him: finishing this season the right way, handling the coaching staff, hitting the portal for a QB. It is going to be a busy few months.

Oh he certainly has some tasks in front of him. And getting 2 new coordinators along with an OL coach is at the top of the list, hitting the Portal for a QB(even if Sayin wants to return, he’s hit his ceiling, and OsU needs a mobile QB), getting Portal OL and DL(specifically DEs).

 

[buckeyebri]

Oh he certainly has some tasks in front of him. And getting 2 new coordinators along with an OL coach is at the top of the list, hitting the Portal for a QB(even if Sayin wants to return, he’s hit his ceiling, and OsU needs a mobile QB), getting Portal OL and DL(specifically DEs).

Might need some help in the defensive backfield. Not sure if Little is back, but he has not impressed.

Expecting we try to find a HR hitter for the backfield as well.

Portal acquisition is going to be huge for the future of the team.

 

[Steve19]

One of the great pleasures of BP has been to see the game through the insights of people with more insight them mine. After reading the threads today and watching the game, this is what I think I see.

Overall, at least to me, the team seemed flat from the outset . Like Shetuck and many here on BP, I have a lot of experience with jetlag and I wondered if that could have been an issue. There also has been a swing toward parity in college football. Indiana has taught a lot of teams about using the portal. It's also a game of chance and Sayin's injury is huge.

The offense clearly took a step back, which was to be expected when breaking in a new quarterback. There were too many penalties and errors on both sides of the ball. These things noted, this game was not lost by the offense and a new quarterback...it belongs to everyone and perhaps least on the offense.

Special teams and the defense did not set the stage for a young quarterback to build confidence early in the game. Fahey walked onto an opponent's field with the momentum very much on the home side of the field. We really only got a good look at the kind of quarterback he might become at the end of the game and he made some impressive throws. It also was a pleasure to see him get away from collapsing pockets and get yards with his feet.

If the loss is to be proportionately owned, then I think special teams and defense really let the team down. They had no excuse for not being prepared for this game. They must have known that the most important thing would be to get Fahey settled in, not walking onto the field with a second play opponent touchdown. The defense did not seem to be as well prepared as normal could not have really focused on USC and not realized that freshman had jets. The defense uncharacteristically got pantsed more than a couple of times yesterday.

The offensive, defensive, and special teams coaches need to take a good look in the mirror and own this, then file it away and get this team ready to take the field with confidence this week.

Every remaining game is winnable. The CFP is still on the table and might even be there with three losses, though that might be a bit of a stretch.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Leaders lead. Managers manage. Time to either get better at delegating decision making or manage the game himself. Shit is discombobulated and grossly inconsistent.

Getting beat by better teams or players happens and can be overcome. Getting beat because you aren't prepared or not communicating efficiently enough is not acceptable at the top of this sport.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Right, it can't be the hire of the OC that nobody wanted in the NFL because he sucks out loud, it's Day putting his thumb on the offense to intentionally make them shit.

The game plan today was garbage, the penalties are an embarrassment, and hiring Arthur fucking Smith is coaching malpractice. But firing him without any upgrade in sight because he lost a game is just utter nonsense. Claiming Sark and Lincoln Riley are better than him is stupid. You're having an emotional meltdown reaction to something that happens. Teams lose games. Surprisingly, other teams wanna win, too. It happens. It happens under Ryan Day way less often than anywhere else. Stop with the tantrum and take a breath.

For what is worth I'm still salty you didn't call Arthur during the game like I asked I'm the BMW thread. I'm pouting today.

FWIW were I in Days shoes I would absolutely do one of the two things as the CEO and leader of the best football program in the country:

1. Fire Smith and assume play calling duties with extra eyes in the sky. Also to do this he actually has to listen to the guys he appoints to read what is happening and properly and timely inform him.

2. Force Art to the fucking box so he can see what is happening, get the plays in faster to his freshman QB and have a goddamn plan with a backup should shit not be working. Also a caveat that if he ever goes shotgun again inches from the goddamn goal-line that he is fired for cause.

The run game was kind of working so most of my vitriol is aimed at that bullshit on the goal line and constantly putting Fahey in bad third down looks expecting him to not fuck it up. Otherwise is was WTF moments from Patricia's side that was the culprit but that is for a different thread.

 

[scarletngray]

I'm sick of emotionally dwarfed people who don't know how to handle a loss.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Leaders lead. Managers manage. Time to either get better at delegating decision making or manage the game himself. Shit is discombobulated and grossly inconsistent.

Getting beat by better teams or players happens and can be overcome. Getting beat because you aren't prepared or not communicating efficiently enough is not acceptable at the top of this sport.

Yep. If Day is going to be more of a "manager" head coach then he needs the absolute right people around him on his staff for it to work. And IMO NFL castoffs at the OC/DC spots are not going to fit that role. He needs to get over this new obsession with doing things like the NFL real quick.

 

[Bestbuck36]

I'm sick of emotionally dwarfed people who don't know how to handle a loss.

Directed at me hoss?