The Ryan Day era at Ohio State is over

I was done here on November 26, 2022:

How is there still any debate two years later? The Ryan Day era at Ohio State is over.

I don't care what his overall record is, how many guys he puts into the NFL, how much his current and former players love him, his wins over Penn State and Purdue, or the fact that Ohio State is more-than-likely still alive in the College Football Playoff.

We're done here.

The Buckeyes lost to Michigan as 20-point home favorites - their fourth-straight loss in the rivalry. That fact is egregious enough on its own. How can even the most scarlet-colored glasses fans possibly excuse this one? Ah, excuses!

Excuses are the backbone of Ryan Day's tenure at Ohio State.

"Officiating cost them against Clemson!"

"But Michigan cheated!"

"That was targeting on Marvin Harrison Jr.!"

"There should've been a second left against Oregon!"

"It's not Day's fault! This one's on Jim Knowles and the defense!"

What's the excuse this time?

Michigan's two best players were out! Jim Harbaugh's gone! Connor Stallions isn't in the stadium! You only got called for two penalties compared to Michigan's four! The defense gave you a turnover inside Michigan's 20 AND made two goal-line stands - one of which should've sealed Jack Sawyer's full turn into Buckeye lore:

A 6-5 Michigan team just walked into Ohio Stadium and won. All credit to them, because they deserved it. They did it with a former walk-on quarterback, leading an offense without star tight end Colston Loveland. That offense ranks amongst the three service academies when it comes to receiver production, by the way. They really didn't have much success doing anything for most of the game, either! But, from 1:38 left in the third quarter until the final whistle, they ran 26 plays and held the ball for 15:01 of game time, which included their 11-play, 57-yard field goal drive that effectively iced it. Let me be clear that I'm not blaming this loss on Ohio State's defense (far from it), but how can you excuse that?

The main reason Michigan won was because of their defense - which while not what they were last year, is still pretty stingy, and gives them a shot to keep most games close. This was a bad matchup for them, though! Their top-ten (at least!) draft pick cornerback Will Johnson being out against what's arguably the best group of receivers in college football should've played right into Ohio State's hands. Naturally, the Buckeyes took advantage of his absence by only throwing seven more times than they ran (33-26), repeatedly choosing to ram their heads into the teeth of Michigan's defense to the tune of 77 yards on 26 carries (3.0). Ryan Day's reasoning for this strategy? It was important to "establish the run!"

Ohio State being unable to capitalize on Loveland or Johnson's absences is unsurprising, because this exact thing has happened against other top teams missing star players throughout the Day era:

(In addition to Thibodeaux being out, Oregon also played without LB Justin Flowe in 2021)

Losing to Michigan without their best players in the lineup was merely just the intro to what was a greatest hits of failure album Day and his team serenaded 100,000-plus Buckeye faithful with.

• The special teams errors that've plagued the program since at least 2021? Oh baby:

This was the second of two missed field Jayden Fielding kicks - the other being a 38-yarder. Not to sound like Jim Tressel here, but I sure think six points could've made a big difference in this one!

• The catastrophic redzone performances in big games like 2019 Clemson? The Buckeyes went 2-5, featuring back-to-back possessions where Will Howard first threw a killer interception:

Then this masterpiece where they started at Michigan's 16, but gained zero yards and zero points, courtesy of the Fielding miss shown above:

• Howard also continued the all-too familiar formula of lackluster quarterback play in big games under Day by throwing two picks - one of which gifted Michigan their first seven points:

Can someone please explain to me the function of a head coach whose whole thing is supposed to be that he's an offensive/QB guru, but he doesn't even call plays anymore (ALLEGEDLY) and the offense/QBs struggle in nearly every big game? What's the purpose of a guy who said he was falling back into more of a "CEO/game-manager" role, yet his team still constantly gets their ass whipped on special teams, situational football and on the margins? You can't explain it rationally - because there's no rational explanation, and no excuse.

Ryan Day is the goldilocks of head coaches. For his teams to win in these situations, everything has to be just right. If anything from officiating, the weather, fan atmosphere or whatever else you want to make up in your mind goes against Ohio State, Day will find an avenue to whine about it. Today in "This porridge is too hot!" - the wind:

No matter where you fall on the Ohio State fan spectrum –Aggressively online and mutinous like me, or as a "Everything will be fine!" optimist– you deserve better than Ryan Day. Ohio State hasn't beaten Michigan since before COVID. The only time we ever watch an Ohio State roster full of NFL talent compete in Lucas Oil Stadium is when they show up for the NFL Combine each February. The team looks visibly scared in almost every pressure situation they're put in, and the guy who leads it all has let the rivalry slip out of the program's hands to such a degree that Michigan is quite literally begging for them to either step up or shut the fuck up about it:

Even I knew Day wasn't getting fired after losing to Michigan in 2022. It was too early in his tenure for the administration to press that button, and they still had the opportunity to make the four-team playoff. (Which they did.) But, that was the moment I was done making excuses for a coach who lives to make them for himself, his players, and his program. So what's new two years later? A couple of Penn State wins, some shiny receiver play, and a Mickey Mouse playoff system keeping their hopes alive? It's not good enough for me, and it shouldn't be good enough for you, either. The real question is whether you and the people who call the shots are done making the excuses that have defined Ohio State under Ryan Day.