Ohio State’s stumble in Austin has turned this week into a reset point, and Ryan Day made clear Tuesday that the Buckeyes are focused on cleaning up the mess before it grows into something bigger.
Now ranked No. 6 after dropping a 24-23 decision to Texas, Ohio State heads into Saturday’s home game against Kent State at noon ET on FOX looking for a clean response. The Buckeyes blew a 20-point lead against the Longhorns, and Day knows another slip like that would invite even more noise around a team still trying to sort out its College Football Playoff path.
Rather than lean into the idea that last Saturday night was some kind of postseason preview, Day pointed to the basics: the Buckeyes have to handle what they can control and finish games when they have the chance.
"At the end of the day, we have to look at it through that lens and then we have to get it fixed," Day said. "I think that really is what it comes down to: trying to identify what actually happened in the game and then making sure that, as we get ourselves in that situation again, we're able to finish the game the way that we should."
That message matters even more after Ohio State spent the day trying to hold off a Texas team led by Heisman-contending quarterback Arch Manning. The loss left Day sounding frustrated, and he didn’t hide how the last few days have felt around the program.
"As you can imagine, it's extremely frustrating, it's maddening and we're excited to get back on the field and get going because the last couple of days haven't been fun around here," Day said.
The good news for Ohio State is the calendar gave it a breather before conference play begins next Saturday. The Buckeyes will host Illinois in a noon ET rematch from last season, and Day said the timing of this week to regroup is exactly what the team needs.
"As this hurts and it is miserable, we have to move forward with it and we're gonna get some of that information," Day said. "We're gonna work through it. And the plan is to be a better, stronger team as we head into conference play."
For now, Ohio State is still in the College Football Playoff mix. The question is how long that remains true, and how quickly the Buckeyes prove this setback was a detour instead of a warning sign.
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Safety Earl Little Jr. acknowledged the need for improvement and stressed that every defender has to own his assignment if the unit is going to hold up against conference offenses. The coaching staff has kept practice demanding for exactly that reason, pushing the Buckeyes to sharpen the details now rather than hope they sort themselves out later. [Read more 🡒]