Ohio State’s trip to Texas gave Ryan Day another reason to keep looking hard at the little things.
The Buckeyes were up 20-3 when they faced a fourth-and-4 at the Longhorns’ 39-yard line and chose to punt instead of putting the offense back on the field. Joe McGuire’s kick traveled only 26 yards, and that choice quickly became part of the conversation after Ohio State’s loss.
Day said Tuesday that he understood the logic behind the decision at the time. His defense had been playing well, and the idea was to flip field position and try to pin Texas deep. But once the punt netted just 26 yards, the move looked a lot different.
“If we’re going to do that, if we’re going to make that decision, it is hard for me to stand in front of you and say, ‘Yeah, that’s a good decision’ when the ball’s on the 15-yard line,” Day said. “If we pin them on the two or the one?
You’re probably saying, ‘OK, I get it better.’ Either we have to execute that better or we’ve gotta go for it, that’s the bottom line.”
Day still backed McGuire, praising how quickly he gets the ball off. That matters in a program like Ohio State, where special teams doesn’t always need to be flashy to be useful. Avoid the disaster plays - the blocked punt, the giveaway that flips a game - and the Buckeyes often have enough talent elsewhere to handle the rest.
But that hasn’t made the punt game a strength during Day’s time in Columbus, and he tried to address it this offseason. Ohio State brought in Robby Discher as special teams coordinator, giving the unit a title and a fresh set of eyes after not having someone in that role before. Discher arrived after successful stops, most recently at Illinois, with the expectation that he could sharpen things up.
That didn’t happen in a clean way at Texas. Along with the short punt, Ohio State also missed a field goal from Connor Hawkins late in the game. Those were the kinds of details Day had hoped would be cleaner.
“I do believe in Joe, I think Joe has the ability to do it,” Day said. “But we’ve got to go put it on the field.”
McGuire has punted 82 times over three seasons at Ohio State. Twenty-nine of those kicks have landed inside the 20, eight inside the 10 and two inside the five.
Day has long talked about hidden yards, usually in the context of punt returns, but the same idea applies on the other side too. A punt that doesn’t drive an opponent back can quietly give away field position, and in a game like this one, that can matter in a hurry.
Ohio State’s punt from the Texas 39 ended up gaining just 26 yards. A few more yards would have changed the picture considerably, and Day made it clear that if the execution doesn’t improve, he may start leaning the other way on those fourth-down calls.
“If it gets to the point where we’re not executing it well enough, then we’ve got to make other decisions,” Day said.
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Ohio State Has A Ryan Day Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Ohio States recent habit of watching comfortable fourth-quarter leads shrink has turned into more than a bad stretch. The Buckeyes have had the kind of defensive fatigue and late-game confusion that can undo otherwise solid afternoons, and the issue has shown up in consecutive games enough to raise real questions about how the team closes.
Ryan Days program has been especially vulnerable when opponents keep pushing the pace and the defense is forced to hold up under pressure. The loss to Texas only sharpened the concern, since the Longhorns have brought a steadier offensive identity over multiple seasons while Ohio State has struggled to adjust and protect leads when games turn critical. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State May Have Found A Young Defensive Difference Maker
Riley Pettijohns role in Ohio States loss to Texas was one of the quieter bright spots for a defense that spent much of the night under pressure. The young linebacker logged a career-high 37 snaps while moving around to multiple spots, and he flashed enough disruption to stand out even in a tough result. He also fit in with a broader theme from the game, as other young Buckeyes like Jay Timmons and Khary Wilder showed they may be ready for bigger chances too.
Ryan Day has already signaled that Pettijohns workload should keep growing, and it is easy to see why the staff is intrigued. The linebacker has shown a knack for slipping blocks and finding the football, the kind of trait that can change how a defense feels from one week to the next. Ohio State still has to sort out the bigger picture after the loss, but Pettijohns emergence gives the Buckeyes something real to build on. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Texas Loss Exposed A Passing Problem Fans Feared
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What makes that imbalance matter is what it says about the rest of the receiving room. Ohio State needs more than one reliable target if it wants the passing game to hold up in the games that matter most, especially with the secondary also showing cracks on the other side of the ball. The Texas loss did not just expose one off day, it reinforced a concern fans had already been carrying into the season. [Read more 🡒]