Ryan Day made the punting issue impossible to dodge after Ohio State’s 24-23 loss to Texas, and he didn’t try to dress it up.
For three seasons now, the Buckeyes’ punt game has sat in that frustrating middle ground: not usually disastrous, but rarely helpful enough to matter. Then Saturday night in Austin brought the problem into sharp focus when Ohio State sent one away deep in Texas territory and got a 26-yard punt out of it.
Joe McGuire has handled the punting duties for the last three years, and the conversation around him isn’t going away. Day was asked directly about McGuire and the overall state of the punt game, and his answer pointed toward a possible change in approach.
"Joe does get the ball out quickly and had a couple of decent punts. But you're right.
We gotta execute that better. If we're going to do that, if we're going to make that decision, it is hard for me to stand up in front of you and say "Yeah, that's a good thing" when the ball's on the 15-yard line.
If we pin them on the two or the one, you're probably saying, " I get it better". So either we gotta execute that better, or we gotta go for it."
That’s the real takeaway here: if Ohio State isn’t going to flip the field, Day sounds ready to rethink the decision to punt in the first place.
McGuire’s numbers help explain why this has become such a sore spot. Over the last three years, he has averaged just 42 yards per punt. And when those kicks aren’t pinning teams deep, the Buckeyes are left with the worst of both worlds - giving up possession without gaining much field position in return.
Day also said he thinks McGuire can do better, but the bigger point is obvious. If Ohio State is facing fourth-and-short in opponent territory, and the punt game isn’t delivering field-position wins, then the offense may simply be the better bet to pick up three or four yards.
That kind of aggression appears likely to show up more often in the coming weeks.
Day has already made it clear he wants more from every part of the team. Early in his press conference, he called out the defense for not being aggressive enough. Now the punting game has joined the list of issues he wants fixed.
For Ohio State, the timing makes the whole thing even more uncomfortable. The Buckeyes now have three easier games coming up, a chance to settle things down and rebuild some confidence after blowing a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.
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