Ohio State’s loss at Texas left Ryan Day with a few uncomfortable questions Tuesday, and the one that hung in the air the longest centered on Julian Sayin’s timing.
Three days after the Buckeyes coughed up a 20-point lead in a 24-23 defeat, Day met with reporters and was pressed on whether the quarterback was getting rid of the ball too quickly. It was a fair read from the game itself: there were multiple moments when Sayin looked a beat early, and Jeremiah Smith appeared surprised by how fast the ball arrived at least twice in the second half.
Day didn’t flat-out bury his quarterback, but he didn’t really deny it either.
"Yeah, I think sometimes in those games early, you got to find the rhythm of the game," Day told us. "I think there were times where he definitely did find the rhythm of the game.
Then I think there were times where we were just a little bit off, like you said. There wasn't enough rhythm.
I mean, when you go 2-for-12 in the second half throwing the football, there's not a rhythm in the pass game."
Asked again whether Sayin was speeding up because of Texas’ pass rush, Day answered more directly.
"Yeah, there was some of that," Day said. "There were a couple plays where we didn't quite identify the protection correctly. So, you saw a free runner come in."
That’s the part that matters most. Day’s public message was measured, but the takeaway is plain: Sayin was feeling heat, the timing went out of sync, and the Buckeyes never settled back into a passing rhythm after halftime.
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