Ryan Day didn’t hide from the mess after Ohio State’s 41-28 loss to Oregon. He came out of a week built around one word - urgency - and watched his team start fast, then unravel in the same familiar ways that have haunted it for weeks.
The Buckeyes jumped ahead 14-0, and for a moment it looked like the message had landed. But Oregon answered with 38 straight points, and what had been an electric atmosphere quickly turned into a flat, frustrated scene as Ohio State dropped to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. The season that once carried huge expectations is now hanging by a thread, with two straight losses after the bye week leaving the Buckeyes in a spot they no longer control.
“It’s our job to figure out how we can put our guys in a situation to be successful. Creativity is one of them,” Day said after the loss. “I can’t sit here coming out of these last two games and say we’ve done a good enough job in those areas.”
The offense never found its footing, even with Luke Fahey under center against USC and Oregon. Across those two games, Ohio State managed just 23 points in the first three quarters combined and did not throw a passing touchdown.
Against Oregon, the late touchdowns came with 3:25 left, 2:12 left and 44 seconds remaining, long after the game had already slipped away. None of them changed the feel of the night.
The running game was a major part of the problem again. Ohio State opened with 42 rushing yards in the first quarter, then managed only six, four and nine yards in the final three quarters. That left the Buckeyes stuck in a one-dimensional offense, and Day made clear that the lack of balance is making everything harder.
“If we’re not going to run the ball consistently and give him easier throws and again, put him (Fahey) in better situations,” Day said. “Then things like this can come up.”
Day said everything is on the table now, including coaching changes, play-calling duties and personnel adjustments. But after back-to-back games with no real offensive rhythm, the damage is already done.
“I think there’s two games in a row where there’s just really been no rhythm on offense,” Day said. “Positive runs, completions ... we haven’t been able to sustain anything. There’s just been too many mistakes.”
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Ohio State Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Legend Bey
Legend Bey arrived at Ohio State with some buzz, but his first season has not gone the way many Buckeyes fans hoped. The freshman running back has seen limited playing time, and his path has already been complicated by a suspension early in fall camp. Even with the season moving along, Bey has not been able to carve out much of a role in a backfield that has been difficult to crack.
Bey added another layer of uncertainty this week by posting a cryptic message on social media, which naturally sparked concern about where things stand. Nothing official has been announced, and there is no confirmation that he is entering the transfer portal, but the timing of the post is enough to make people around the program pay attention. For a player still trying to find his footing, and for a fan base watching the running back room closely, it is the kind of development that raises more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
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Head coach Ryan Day has already acknowledged the problems and made clear the responsibility does not rest with Discher alone, which suggests this is as much about broader accountability as it is about one staffing change. For a program with Ohio States standards, special teams has become too familiar a source of frustration, and the latest move only adds to the sense that more adjustments could still be coming. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Special Teams Disaster Forced Ryan Day To Act Fast
Ohio State moved quickly after the loss to Oregon, parting ways with special teams coordinator Robby Discher just months after hiring him in February. The decision came in the wake of back-to-back defeats that were defined in part by special teams breakdowns, a familiar sore spot in Ryan Days tenure that has lingered long enough to become impossible to ignore.
The latest setback against Oregon only sharpened the urgency, with the Ducks even landing a successful fake punt as the Buckeyes struggled to get control of that phase of the game. For a program built to compete at the highest level, special teams had become too costly to keep waiting on, and Ohio State chose to make the change before the issue could spill further into the season. [Read more 🡒]