Josh Dooley
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Ohio State fans shouldn’t blame Ryan Day for everything
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
Sure, the Buckeyes’ head coach deserves at least a share of the blame for... well, most things. He is the HC after all. But he is not 1 of 11, nor does he control everything that happens on the field and/or in the coaches’ box.
Welp. Ryan Day and Ohio State lost to Oregon... Again. Perhaps Buckeye Nation should feel better this time around, since the 2024 Ducks are superior to the 2021 version and won by just a single point at home.
Eh, on second thought, nope. This loss sucked, just like the rest of ‘em. Actually, it may have sucked evenharder more egregiously.
Because in yet another big game/all-eyes-on-you setting, OSU played almost well enough to win but then... ya know, didn’t. At this point, it is becoming nearly impossible to defend Day’s record against top-tier teams. But because nothing is going to change between now and the end of the 2024-25 season, I figured I would give it one more try.
In a half-hearted manner, of course.
To be clear, Day is not free of blame for what transpired in Eugene, Oregon this past Saturday. Far from it. His staff, his players, his program and presumably his clock management. Plus, he is very, very (very, very) well-compensated for taking ownership of this and every other loss. That’s the gig. So he gets to wear the big, scarlet “L”.
That being said...
Day didn’t get stuffed in a locker by Oregon’s offensive coordinator on Saturday night. No, that was Ohio State’s high-priced defensive coordinator, who must have looked like Chris Farley playing checkers against David Spade in Black Sheep on Saturday night. Just completely outschemed and overmatched.
Day didn’t get bullied and manhandled all night by the Ducks’ offensive line. Day didn’t look like a newborn baby deer on ice while attempting to cover and keep up with Oregon’s wide receivers. And Day didn’t put the ball on the ground, slide down as time expired, or put out a Tonya Harding-esque hit on his best offensive lineman’s knee.
Here is a fictional representation of my reaction to the Josh Simmons injury:
Now (and again, I suppose), did all of this happen under Day’s watch? Yes. Does he hire/retain the staff, recruit the players, watch over the practices, etc.? Absolutely, we know this. So if one wants to argue that Day has cultivated a certain culture – and that said culture is the reason his players and coaches tense up in big games – well, I would have a tough time convincing that person otherwise.
We also know that Day was likely responsible for the Buckeyes’ poor clock management at the end of the game. Which is, like, really not helping my case... But a football game is not a solo endeavor or mission. Several individuals must perform well, and several things must happen and/or go well in order to win a football game against a top-3 opponent on the road.
Even the best head coaches need help. Unfortunately, Day didn’t get a whole lot of that on Saturday night, at least not from a few of his most important players and/or most experienced coaches. As has been the case multiple times in the past.
In the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, Day’s star quarterback and star wide receiver couldn’t get on the same page, resulting in a costly and soul-crushing interception. On an otherwise beautiful play design. Chalk that one up to bad luck more than anything.
In 2020, Day’s defensive coordinator... Ok, that one was on the head coach for retaining said DC. Losses in 2021 were pretty embarrassing, too.
But then in 2022, it was a perfectly makeable but missed field goal. Last year, it was two bad interceptions against OSU’s hated rival. And this year, well, you watched the damn game. Or I assume that you did, if you’re reading this.
And don’t even get me started on the bad breaks and/or bad luck that Day and the Buckeyes have experienced. The Tee Higgins (obvious) fumble that wasn’t, the Marvin Harrison Jr. concussion, the Jeremiah Smith OPI that also wasn’t!
Why does this keep happening to Ryan Day’s Ohio State teams? Why do his Buckeyes collectively, consistently, and repeatedly step in shit?
Well, some say that he coaches scared/too conservatively, which then affects (consciously or subconsciously) and trickles down to his players and potentially even his assistant coaches. Others say that he simply lacks the big game gene or skill. As for me, I’ll be honest... I have no f@#$%ing clue. I just don’t understand how or why a coach can be/get so close so many times and never clear the final hurdle. It baffles me. It befuddles me.
There could probably be books – volumes of books, even – written about the Day experience and/or experiment at Ohio State. Even then, I don’t know if we would ever get to the bottom of or figure out why the Buckeyes’ (have) consistently come up short against top-tier opponents. Often times, just short! Like, field goal attempt to win it-short. Which somehow makes it worse than a handful of blowouts.
But maybe... just maybe... these gut-wrenching losses are and have been part of some sick, twisted series of accidents, flukes, and ill-timed errors that – along with the universe conspiring against the coach and his team – have led the Buckeyes and Buckeye Nation down this dark, dark road where we currently find ourselves. That, or maybe it’s just really hard to win games against really good opponents (not an excuse for Day’s big-game record, move along).
The good news is that everyone (here, involved, bleeding Scarlet and Gray) has a chance to turn around, leave the dark road behind, and run toward the light. Why? Because OSU is still a top-5 team! It’s not over, just like it wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. We’re still in this!
Of course, we might be lacking collective confidence, but that’s a different conversation for a different day. For now, as fans, let’s try to have a positive outlook. And some hope that Day and Ohio State will eventually get over that big, nasty hump. Because otherwise, what are even doin’ here? Why am I writing for – and you reading – an OSU blog? Are we masochists? I know I’m not. I mean, I’m no stranger to hot wax and/or a clamp or two, but...
Heyyy, nevermind. That got weird. Anyway, Go Bucks!
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
Sure, the Buckeyes’ head coach deserves at least a share of the blame for... well, most things. He is the HC after all. But he is not 1 of 11, nor does he control everything that happens on the field and/or in the coaches’ box.
Welp. Ryan Day and Ohio State lost to Oregon... Again. Perhaps Buckeye Nation should feel better this time around, since the 2024 Ducks are superior to the 2021 version and won by just a single point at home.
Eh, on second thought, nope. This loss sucked, just like the rest of ‘em. Actually, it may have sucked even
Because in yet another big game/all-eyes-on-you setting, OSU played almost well enough to win but then... ya know, didn’t. At this point, it is becoming nearly impossible to defend Day’s record against top-tier teams. But because nothing is going to change between now and the end of the 2024-25 season, I figured I would give it one more try.
In a half-hearted manner, of course.
To be clear, Day is not free of blame for what transpired in Eugene, Oregon this past Saturday. Far from it. His staff, his players, his program and presumably his clock management. Plus, he is very, very (very, very) well-compensated for taking ownership of this and every other loss. That’s the gig. So he gets to wear the big, scarlet “L”.
That being said...
Day didn’t get stuffed in a locker by Oregon’s offensive coordinator on Saturday night. No, that was Ohio State’s high-priced defensive coordinator, who must have looked like Chris Farley playing checkers against David Spade in Black Sheep on Saturday night. Just completely outschemed and overmatched.
Day didn’t get bullied and manhandled all night by the Ducks’ offensive line. Day didn’t look like a newborn baby deer on ice while attempting to cover and keep up with Oregon’s wide receivers. And Day didn’t put the ball on the ground, slide down as time expired, or put out a Tonya Harding-esque hit on his best offensive lineman’s knee.
Here is a fictional representation of my reaction to the Josh Simmons injury:
Now (and again, I suppose), did all of this happen under Day’s watch? Yes. Does he hire/retain the staff, recruit the players, watch over the practices, etc.? Absolutely, we know this. So if one wants to argue that Day has cultivated a certain culture – and that said culture is the reason his players and coaches tense up in big games – well, I would have a tough time convincing that person otherwise.
We also know that Day was likely responsible for the Buckeyes’ poor clock management at the end of the game. Which is, like, really not helping my case... But a football game is not a solo endeavor or mission. Several individuals must perform well, and several things must happen and/or go well in order to win a football game against a top-3 opponent on the road.
Even the best head coaches need help. Unfortunately, Day didn’t get a whole lot of that on Saturday night, at least not from a few of his most important players and/or most experienced coaches. As has been the case multiple times in the past.
In the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, Day’s star quarterback and star wide receiver couldn’t get on the same page, resulting in a costly and soul-crushing interception. On an otherwise beautiful play design. Chalk that one up to bad luck more than anything.
In 2020, Day’s defensive coordinator... Ok, that one was on the head coach for retaining said DC. Losses in 2021 were pretty embarrassing, too.
But then in 2022, it was a perfectly makeable but missed field goal. Last year, it was two bad interceptions against OSU’s hated rival. And this year, well, you watched the damn game. Or I assume that you did, if you’re reading this.
And don’t even get me started on the bad breaks and/or bad luck that Day and the Buckeyes have experienced. The Tee Higgins (obvious) fumble that wasn’t, the Marvin Harrison Jr. concussion, the Jeremiah Smith OPI that also wasn’t!
“I thought it was a bad call, just kind of point-blank, and I would say that for anybody.” @joelklatt wants your thoughts on the offensive PI call on Jeremiah Smith in Saturday's loss to Oregonpic.twitter.com/ZgEJvXiuyv
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 14, 2024
Why does this keep happening to Ryan Day’s Ohio State teams? Why do his Buckeyes collectively, consistently, and repeatedly step in shit?
Well, some say that he coaches scared/too conservatively, which then affects (consciously or subconsciously) and trickles down to his players and potentially even his assistant coaches. Others say that he simply lacks the big game gene or skill. As for me, I’ll be honest... I have no f@#$%ing clue. I just don’t understand how or why a coach can be/get so close so many times and never clear the final hurdle. It baffles me. It befuddles me.
There could probably be books – volumes of books, even – written about the Day experience and/or experiment at Ohio State. Even then, I don’t know if we would ever get to the bottom of or figure out why the Buckeyes’ (have) consistently come up short against top-tier opponents. Often times, just short! Like, field goal attempt to win it-short. Which somehow makes it worse than a handful of blowouts.
But maybe... just maybe... these gut-wrenching losses are and have been part of some sick, twisted series of accidents, flukes, and ill-timed errors that – along with the universe conspiring against the coach and his team – have led the Buckeyes and Buckeye Nation down this dark, dark road where we currently find ourselves. That, or maybe it’s just really hard to win games against really good opponents (not an excuse for Day’s big-game record, move along).
The good news is that everyone (here, involved, bleeding Scarlet and Gray) has a chance to turn around, leave the dark road behind, and run toward the light. Why? Because OSU is still a top-5 team! It’s not over, just like it wasn’t over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. We’re still in this!
Of course, we might be lacking collective confidence, but that’s a different conversation for a different day. For now, as fans, let’s try to have a positive outlook. And some hope that Day and Ohio State will eventually get over that big, nasty hump. Because otherwise, what are even doin’ here? Why am I writing for – and you reading – an OSU blog? Are we masochists? I know I’m not. I mean, I’m no stranger to hot wax and/or a clamp or two, but...
Heyyy, nevermind. That got weird. Anyway, Go Bucks!
Continue reading...