Matt Tamanini
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It’s time for a change; Ohio State’s inept performance against Michigan is inexcusable
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
I hate to say it, but Ryan Day cannot continue to be Ohio State’s head coach
This is a column that I certainly don’t want to write, and honestly, I thought that there was no chance that I would have to write it, but Ryan Day and this Ohio State coaching staff can’t be trusted in high-pressure games. Yes, I know they have won two top-five games this season, and those carry with them their own types of pressure, but when it comes to contests where there is something more than just a big, regular-season victory at stake, they just do not have what it takes to put their team in the best situations to win.
For the fourth straight season, the Ohio State Buckeyes have lost to their rival despite varying levels of talent advantages. This year was the most lopsided matchup in recent memory, and yet, the No. 2 Buckeyes lost to Michigan 13-10 in an embarrassingly inept effort in front of the home crowd at Ohio Stadium.
Day and his team had everything to play for, not only a shot at a Big Ten Championship but more importantly, pride. They have been mercilessly questioned and insulted over the last three years, and they were given the chance to shut their doubters and haters up, and not only failed to do so but failed to do so in epic fashion. This was a miserable performance by Ohio State’s coaching staff and one that simply cannot be excused. This game should effectively end the Ryan Day Experiment in Columbus.
Clearly, there were significant failures in terms of player execution — WIll Howard’s two interceptions, Jayden Fielding’s two missed field goal attempts, just to name a few — but there is no reason for this Ohio State squad to have been in a situation for those miscues to matter.
Chip Kelly or Ryan Day, whichever one was calling plays, seemed determined to run the ball into the teeth of Michigan’s defensive line — the Wolverines’ unquestioned strength. While Will Howard obviously did not have one of his typically efficient days — being nearly concussed and swirling winds likely had something to do with that — that is not an excuse for the Ohio State offense to routinely run the ball up the middle against Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
For the game, the Buckeyes ran the ball 26 times for a total of 77 yards; that’s three yards per carry. And yet, Kelly continued to call it over and over and over again. If you are worried about the wind or your quarterback’s ability to complete passes, fine, that is a decision you need to make. So, show some sort of creativity in your playcalling. On the rare occasions when they did come up with something unique in the run game, it did fairly well.
But, for whatever reason, Kelly and Day thought it best to metaphorically beat their heads against the wall time and time again all afternoon long. This is not the first time that this has happened this season, Chip Kelly almost cost the Buckeyes the game against Nebraska and I would argue that he is a significant reason why they lost today.
I admit, I thought that Ryan Day and his staff had exorcised the big game demons and were in the perfect position to have a monster showing and rip the monkey off of the head coach’s back. But that’s on me, I let Day do it to me again; Lucy pulled the football away from me just as I was getting ready to kick it for the umpteenth time over the course of the last four years.
Today’s outcome is arguably the worst loss in modern Ohio State football history, and there is no excuse for it. I truly, truly, hate to say it, but this program cannot continue with Ryan Day as head coach. The anxiety that grips this team anytime something beyond a W is at stake comes from the top and trickles down through his staff and players. Ohio State is built to win conference and national championships on a semi-routine basis, but it is now painfully clear that it will not happen with Ryan Day at the helm.
I like Ryan Day. I think that he is a good coach and an even better human, but at this point in his coaching career, he simply does not have the makeup to lead a program into difficult, high-leverage situations. The talent is there, the dedication is there, the emotions are there, so what is lacking? Unfortunately, I think that it is pretty clear that the answer is leadership.
I don’t know if Ross Bjork has any inclination to fire Ryan Day before the College Football Playoff, and if you asked me when I was more sober-minded, removed from the fog of another frustrating defeat, I would probably say that there is nearly no chance of that happening. However, this must be the final season of Ryan Day’s tenure in Columbus. For all of his regular-season victories and the winning streak against unranked opponents, quite frankly, that is not good enough at Ohio State.
The expectations for the Buckeyes are amongst the highest in the country, and they are one of the few programs with the resources to meet them. However, like clockwork under Day’s direction, they come up short when it matters the most. I came of age as an Ohio State fan during the days of John Cooper, and, to me, Day’s run is far more painful because it comes on the heels of Jim Tressell and Urban Meyer’s successes.
When Cooper took over in Columbus it had been 20 years since Ohio State’s last legit national championship; by the time he left, it had been 32. When Ryan Day took over, it had been five years, and now it has only been 10. We know that this program is built to win titles at the highest levels, I just don’t think that Day is at this point in his coaching development.
I recognize that Ohio State is still going to make the College Football Playoff, and therefore could still win the national title. If that happens under Day’s leadership, we can cross that bridge when we get there. However, there is nothing on his resume to convince me that that is something to even be contemplating at this point.
At nearly every available opportunity, Ryan Day’s teams have come up short on the biggest stages, and unfortunately, that is not a trait that can or should ever be acceptable from an Ohio State head coach.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
I hate to say it, but Ryan Day cannot continue to be Ohio State’s head coach
This is a column that I certainly don’t want to write, and honestly, I thought that there was no chance that I would have to write it, but Ryan Day and this Ohio State coaching staff can’t be trusted in high-pressure games. Yes, I know they have won two top-five games this season, and those carry with them their own types of pressure, but when it comes to contests where there is something more than just a big, regular-season victory at stake, they just do not have what it takes to put their team in the best situations to win.
For the fourth straight season, the Ohio State Buckeyes have lost to their rival despite varying levels of talent advantages. This year was the most lopsided matchup in recent memory, and yet, the No. 2 Buckeyes lost to Michigan 13-10 in an embarrassingly inept effort in front of the home crowd at Ohio Stadium.
Day and his team had everything to play for, not only a shot at a Big Ten Championship but more importantly, pride. They have been mercilessly questioned and insulted over the last three years, and they were given the chance to shut their doubters and haters up, and not only failed to do so but failed to do so in epic fashion. This was a miserable performance by Ohio State’s coaching staff and one that simply cannot be excused. This game should effectively end the Ryan Day Experiment in Columbus.
Clearly, there were significant failures in terms of player execution — WIll Howard’s two interceptions, Jayden Fielding’s two missed field goal attempts, just to name a few — but there is no reason for this Ohio State squad to have been in a situation for those miscues to matter.
Chip Kelly or Ryan Day, whichever one was calling plays, seemed determined to run the ball into the teeth of Michigan’s defensive line — the Wolverines’ unquestioned strength. While Will Howard obviously did not have one of his typically efficient days — being nearly concussed and swirling winds likely had something to do with that — that is not an excuse for the Ohio State offense to routinely run the ball up the middle against Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
For the game, the Buckeyes ran the ball 26 times for a total of 77 yards; that’s three yards per carry. And yet, Kelly continued to call it over and over and over again. If you are worried about the wind or your quarterback’s ability to complete passes, fine, that is a decision you need to make. So, show some sort of creativity in your playcalling. On the rare occasions when they did come up with something unique in the run game, it did fairly well.
But, for whatever reason, Kelly and Day thought it best to metaphorically beat their heads against the wall time and time again all afternoon long. This is not the first time that this has happened this season, Chip Kelly almost cost the Buckeyes the game against Nebraska and I would argue that he is a significant reason why they lost today.
I admit, I thought that Ryan Day and his staff had exorcised the big game demons and were in the perfect position to have a monster showing and rip the monkey off of the head coach’s back. But that’s on me, I let Day do it to me again; Lucy pulled the football away from me just as I was getting ready to kick it for the umpteenth time over the course of the last four years.
Today’s outcome is arguably the worst loss in modern Ohio State football history, and there is no excuse for it. I truly, truly, hate to say it, but this program cannot continue with Ryan Day as head coach. The anxiety that grips this team anytime something beyond a W is at stake comes from the top and trickles down through his staff and players. Ohio State is built to win conference and national championships on a semi-routine basis, but it is now painfully clear that it will not happen with Ryan Day at the helm.
I like Ryan Day. I think that he is a good coach and an even better human, but at this point in his coaching career, he simply does not have the makeup to lead a program into difficult, high-leverage situations. The talent is there, the dedication is there, the emotions are there, so what is lacking? Unfortunately, I think that it is pretty clear that the answer is leadership.
I don’t know if Ross Bjork has any inclination to fire Ryan Day before the College Football Playoff, and if you asked me when I was more sober-minded, removed from the fog of another frustrating defeat, I would probably say that there is nearly no chance of that happening. However, this must be the final season of Ryan Day’s tenure in Columbus. For all of his regular-season victories and the winning streak against unranked opponents, quite frankly, that is not good enough at Ohio State.
The expectations for the Buckeyes are amongst the highest in the country, and they are one of the few programs with the resources to meet them. However, like clockwork under Day’s direction, they come up short when it matters the most. I came of age as an Ohio State fan during the days of John Cooper, and, to me, Day’s run is far more painful because it comes on the heels of Jim Tressell and Urban Meyer’s successes.
When Cooper took over in Columbus it had been 20 years since Ohio State’s last legit national championship; by the time he left, it had been 32. When Ryan Day took over, it had been five years, and now it has only been 10. We know that this program is built to win titles at the highest levels, I just don’t think that Day is at this point in his coaching development.
I recognize that Ohio State is still going to make the College Football Playoff, and therefore could still win the national title. If that happens under Day’s leadership, we can cross that bridge when we get there. However, there is nothing on his resume to convince me that that is something to even be contemplating at this point.
At nearly every available opportunity, Ryan Day’s teams have come up short on the biggest stages, and unfortunately, that is not a trait that can or should ever be acceptable from an Ohio State head coach.
Continue reading...