Coach Ryan Day isn’t pulling any punches after Ohio State’s absolutely brutal 24-23 loss at Texas last Saturday. He’s calling that fourth-quarter collapse “extremely frustrating,” heck, even “maddening,” and you can feel the tension.
The Unthinkable Meltdown That Broke History
Look, this wasn’t just any loss. We’re talking about a historic choke job that’s got everyone doing some serious second-guessing. The Buckeyes were up 23-3 heading into the final 15 minutes! Twenty points in the fourth quarter, you think it’s over, right? Nope. Texas rattled off scores on their last three drives, snatching victory right out from under Ohio State’s nose. Get this: it’s the first time in program history the #6 Buckeyes have lost after leading by at least 17 points at halftime. Even wilder? Since 2004, top-ranked teams in the AP Top 25 were 197-0 when holding a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. One hundred ninety-seven wins, zero losses, until last Saturday. That’s a statistic that hits you hard, and it’s no wonder Day says the last couple of days “haven’t been fun around here.”
Day’s Tough Calls and Raw Honesty
Day, credit where credit’s due, isn’t shying away from his part in all of this. He owned up to some potentially too-aggressive calls, including that failed fourth-down conversion where they could’ve just kicked a field goal. He absolutely owned throwing to Jeremiah Smith on a fade on third-and-4 in the fourth quarter to go win the game. “We didn’t have enough answers in the fourth quarter to go win the game,” he admitted. That’s a gut punch, but it’s real. Then there’s the whole timeout saga at the end. With Texas’ Hollywood Smothers stopped at the 1-yard line on first-and-goal with 53 seconds left, Day burned his final timeout. Smothers scored two plays later, leaving only 25 seconds on the clock. Day said he tried to “hold the line,” but now he’s thinking, “Ultimately would have loved to see what it would’ve looked like if they would’ve scored. So we’ll have to think about it when it happens again.” That’s a brutal “what if.” Oh, and Julian Sayin? He passed for 278 yards, but only completed five of his 16 passes in the second half. His career completion rate is 75.9 percent, but in losses? It drops to 62.5 percent. Not gonna cut it.
Day’s had some “really good conversations with the guys,” and he believes they’re in a “good mindset moving forward.” He knows “we have a lot of football ahead of us,” and this loss definitely “highlighted some things that we got to get fixed.” So, can they actually fix it? The Buckeyes, now 1-1, host Kent State this Saturday before kicking off Big Ten play on September 26 against Illinois. Given Day’s history of averaging 59 points and winning by a 51.7-point margin against MAC teams since 2019, this should be a chance to get back on track. But after that kind of collapse, every single snap against Kent State is going to matter. Let’s see if they can start putting those maddening fourth-quarter answers together.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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