Every Saturday evening, Ari Wasserman and David Ubben react to the weekend’s playlist in “Until Saturday.” On Mondays, they revisit the biggest takeaway from Saturday night’s immediate reaction. This week: Ari wonders why Ryan Day is changing his coaching style when Ohio State plays Michigan.
Kalen DeBoer sent the punt team out, but he didn’t punt. This is a man who never doubts himself or his team.
The Apple Cup was tied with 1:15 left. Washington faced a fourth-and-1 from its own 29-yard line. DeBoer told the punt team to try to get Washington State offside. When it didn’t work, he called a timeout – not to give up to get a first down, but to organize the perfect play.
Washington pursued a triple option concept. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had the choice of handing the ball off while diving, keeping it or going for the run. Star receiver Rome Odunze came around the back in a circle motion, and Penix – with his back to the line of scrimmage – threw the ball to him.
The cameraman was deceived. With the shot focused on the running back, who was stuffed without the ball, Odunze ran down the sideline for a 23-yard gain. It was the perfect call at the perfect moment. Seven plays later, the Huskies won by a field goal.
It’s incredible what happens when a coach puts the ball in the hands of his best players and trusts them to make a play.
This is who Ryan Day is supposed to be for Ohio State.
But that’s not who he is when the Buckeyes play Michigan. Day loses sight of that and what he has on his roster during the game. As a result, Ohio State has lost, unimaginably, three straight times to Michigan.
It wasn’t long ago that Day was a brilliant, up-and-coming offensive mind who ran this program ruthlessly. He would go for it on fourth down while others didn’t. He would make decisions based on who was on his sideline – not who was on the other side. He wanted to design perfect game concepts to catch his opponents napping.
So why, on the stage where winning is paramount, is he so prone to making safe decisions that prevent mistakes rather than trusting his superior athletes to win the game? Why does he never shoot or try to step on the opposition’s throats? Why does he lack imagination and the courage to use it?
GO DEEPER
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Nothing illustrated this more than a key sequence before halftime of Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan on Saturday. Ohio State started the game at 14-3, but fought back and increased the lead to 14-10 in the second quarter. It got a stop and had the ball at its own 2-yard line with 3:23 left in the half. Then, seven plays later, the Buckeyes found themselves at Michigan’s 34-yard line.
Instead of trying to score a hard-hitting touchdown — or even just a more manageable field goal attempt — Day inexplicably let the clock run down and attempted a 52-yard field goal. At a crucial moment, Day was more concerned about the threat Michigan could pose than about his team playing.
With a kicker who had 47 yards in his career, Day set up a 52-yard field goal in the freezing cold. Jayden Fielding missed it, of course, which shouldn’t be surprising considering Ohio State’s special teams have been terrible this year. So the Buckeyes walked away with nothing – the same result they would have had had they gone on fourth down and failed.
Actually, it would have been better to fail because at least the Buckeyes would have tried something. Anything.
The sickest part? Day would have chosen to do so had he played against Maryland or Minnesota. But he got scared and changed his identity in the biggest game of the year. That’s what makes you beat.
Some may argue that it was a wise decision, but coaching goes deeper than using a blackjack helper card. You don’t make decisions that impact your team, such as: B. Deciding whether to hit or stay based on the book recommendation. Decisions big and small impact your team and show what a coach thinks about his players. It penetrates.
Day had Marvin Harrison Jr. It is now likely the last game he will ever play for Ohio State. Instead of arming him and going for the jugular, Day became conservative and passed up a scoring opportunity that he surely would have taken against any other Big Ten team.
He took the ball from Harrison’s hand and placed it on the foot of a kicker who had never made a field goal in such a long time. It failed, just as the field goal at the end of the Georgia game in the College Football Playoff semifinals failed last year. The difference was that all of Ohio State’s weapons were intact. He had Harrison, TreVeyon Henderson, Cade Stover and Emeka Egbuka — some of the many elite players Ohio State convinced to come to Columbus to win in these moments. Instead, Day took the ball out of their hands.
A coach’s decision does not decide whether you win or lose a game. Attitude does. And that was a glimpse into how Day was feeling at an important moment in the game by which he will ultimately be judged.
Day said he spends 364 days a year preparing for Michigan. Wouldn’t that fourth down have been a nice time to try something new? What did he remember specifically about the Michigan game that could have helped in that moment? Where did the game compare to Ted Ginn Jr.’s memorable touchdown reception in 2006, in which he lined up hidden as a tight end and beat the Wolverines over the top? Isn’t the Michigan game the phase where you empty the bag and present new things that the opponent didn’t see on tape? Doesn’t that mean preparing all year round?
Day did some formal things that a wiser football mind could easily recognize. But the most ironic thing was that Michigan — the smashmouth program that was supposed to be all guts and no tricks — had its longest pass play of the day thrown by a running back. His second-longest run came from a package designed for backup quarterback Alex Orji.
Sherrone Moore, a 37-year-old who filled in for the suspended Jim Harbaugh, took more shots in this game than the offensive guru even had in his pocket. Day didn’t even try. He wanted to make fewer mistakes.
GO DEEPER
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Ohio State has top players, but where was the game? The creativity? The bravery to do something you wouldn’t normally do? Even the bravest coaching soul might be afraid of what DeBoer did, but Day didn’t even try to convert a fourth down that game. In the first quarter, he decided to punt on fourth-and-1 from OSU’s 46-yard line.
Day assumed Ohio State had better players and the Buckeyes simply did what they always did. Michigan played Ohio State and hit the Buckeyes where it hurt. Day was coached by a 37-year-old reserve coach.
That’s not to say the Buckeyes should fire Day or that he should look for another opportunity. Ohio State has a lot to offer. And yes, despite the Michigan problem, Day is 56-7 and Ohio State was close to winning a national title a year ago.
You don’t just fire people on a whim. That’s what dysfunctional programs do. The problem, however, is that these seven losses are among the games that Ohio State fans care about most. Nobody cares about beating Rutgers or Minnesota. And no one cares if you’re aggressive against teams that can’t beat you.
Day spent the entire year building a strong team with a great defense that could better compete in a Michigan-style game. Ohio State was tougher, but still lost.
Almost isn’t good enough in this rivalry.
It’s not good enough for Ohio State.
The trained day was afraid. It didn’t matter that he didn’t look across the field at Harbaugh. It didn’t matter that Michigan had the weight of the world on its shoulders during this illegal scouting scandal. Day sees Michigan’s helmets and considers what could go wrong before thinking about what his team could do right. If you play not to lose, you lose.
GO DEEPER
No matter how many times Ryan Day wins at Ohio State, the losses to Michigan will define his legacy
When the cameras zoomed in on his face after the game, you could see his inner turmoil. It’s hard to summarize what he must have felt. It had to be torture. The fear, the regret, the nervousness, the pressure, everything. This doesn’t just mean losing a game. That means losing the game. Again.
How does Day fix the problem? It’s not about replacing a coordinator or recruiting better employees. It is a complicated and deep-rooted problem.
He’ll have to figure it out quickly, because winning a bunch of Big Ten games will never be good enough at Ohio State. Ohio State hasn’t achieved any of its goals in the last three years because it couldn’t win the game. Ohio State’s coaches – fairly or not – will always be judged by their performance against Michigan.
Jim Tressel is a legend. Urban Meyer is a legend. The duo won national titles, but their greatest pride is their combined 16-1 record against the Wolverines. To be fair, Day played Michigan at its best, and it’s unreasonable to assume he’ll never lose. Sometimes teams just lose to really good teams.
But what is that? It is unacceptable. That’s the pressure you face when cashing eight-figure checks.
The pressure can’t keep Day alive or he’ll be fired.
Just ask John Cooper.
(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)