Ryan Day just led the Buckeyes to the most important win of his career. Because it wasn’t a loss.
If Ohio State had stumbled hard against Tennessee in the scarlet-and-orange Horseshoe Tournament on Saturday night — and especially if the loss had been like the abomination against Michigan three weeks ago — the crowd with torches and pitchforks in Buckeye Nation would have made a beeline for it Down High Street, turned left onto Lane Avenue and searched, forcing his way through dejected OSU threes and exuberant Volunteers fans had, every room in the stadium to find Day and run Ohio The state bus is on a rail.
It’s unlikely that OSU athletic director Ross Bjork held the door open for the angry crowd and unhappy donors. After the loss at Michigan, Bjork gave his 45-year-old coach what sounded like a vote of confidence on steroids.
“He is our coach,” said Björk.
But would Björk have slammed the door in the mob’s face and locked it? Doubtful. After all, “He’s our coach” isn’t time-sensitive. One day he is and the next he isn’t.
It’s one thing to support your coach like Björk did. It’s a whole other thing to go to the mat for it, because you could be stuck in even higher tax brackets by FOPs (friends of the program).
Ryan Day is moving 180 from Michigan to Tennessee
The good news for Bjork is that we’ll never know, because Day did a 180 against the Vols, opening up the Buckeyes’ offense. It was the opposite of what he and play-caller Chip Kelly accomplished in the 13-10 loss to the Wolverines on Nov. 30.
Instead of playing the Woody Ball by repeatedly running it into the stomach, Day switched to “backyard ball,” which anyone who’s squashed a Nerf football knows means throwing it here, there and everywhere.
Day did with Tennessee what he should have done with Michigan by revealing a game plan that used the pass to set up the run. And when the clock struck midnight, his professional status no longer seemed to be on shaky ground.
To be clear, I never thought Day would lose his job if he lost to Tennessee, at least not if OSU lost a close game and the Buckeyes looked competent. However, there was a huge defeat and all bets were off.
That’s why it was so important for Day to dominate Tennessee 42-17, even bigger than it was for the Buckeyes. Not only did it give him one more game without burning darts whizzing past his ears, but it also showed that when he trusts his instincts and stays aggressive rather than going into a dead end, his teams are almost always in the hunt. such as against Michigan, although not always victorious. Against Georgia two years ago and Clemson in 2020, Day went all-in on letting his offense run wild. The Buckeyes defeated Clemson 49-28 and beat eventual national champion Georgia until the final second before losing due to a missed field goal.
It’s probably true that Michigan is on Day’s mind, but an easy way to get the Wolverines out of there is to embrace his own identity. And OSU’s identity since Day replaced Urban Meyer in 2019 has been to pair elite wide receivers with above-average quarterbacks and hope the defense is strong enough to make the difference, which is the case in most cases is, although not often enough, secured a national title.
Buckeyes are at their best when they play fast and strike out
When Day lets loose like he did against Tennessee, the Buckeyes are extremely dangerous. Oregon is about to discover that. Next on OSU’s agenda are the Ducks with a rematch in the Rose Bowl set for Jan. 1.
Prediction: No. 8 seed Ohio State, brimming with confidence after demolishing Rocky Top, will upset No. 1 seed Oregon in Pasadena. It won’t be easy and the outcome won’t be known until the sun sets over the San Gabriel Mountains at the start of the fourth quarter, but the 32-31 loss in Eugene on Oct. 12 will be avenged. Book it.
Back to the discussion of Day’s job security. Tennessee was always going to be a program-defining game for the Buckeyes and their coach. But only if they lost. A win would simply mean getting another bite at the apple, and a juicy one at that.
Hit Oregon and the question “Is Day right for the job?” The debate will die down faster than a political argument at the Christmas table. Not now, family.
But a loss on Saturday would have pushed the “Fire Day” speaker dial to 11. And a terrible loss would have broken the internet.
When we returned to Björk’s comments three weeks ago, the AD addressed the question of whether public opinion might lead him to abandon his support for Day.
“Let’s get into the playoffs,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to say. Let’s get into the playoffs. This is what we have to do.”
What constitutes a run? A victory? Two? Win the Natty? Only Björk knows, but it’s important to remember that the way Day changed things after Michigan endeared him to his boss and other university/community bigwigs. If nothing else, it showed that Day is teachable.
I asked Day after the game what changed from a coaching perspective from Michigan to Tennessee.
“I think it was a combination of things. I think it’s a little bit of everything,” he said, explaining that OSU wasn’t at its best even before Michigan. “To be honest, we really didn’t play very well offensively in the game against Indiana. And then we got into the (Michigan) game and there were a lot of things that contributed to that, but we definitely called that game more aggressive.
“But we also did some things in this game that maximized our strengths and minimized our deficits.”
Day praised quarterback Will Howard, who came back from his worst game of the season against Michigan with one of his best performances, completing 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. It helped immensely that the Buckeyes offensive line protected him by not allowing a sack.
The difference that night, however, was mostly the day.
“We were balanced in that game,” he said, never wanting to be seen as just a pass-happy coach, a label he has been fighting against for several years. “It’s not like we just threw everything everywhere. We had some runs that convinced us and that makes a big difference when you have the run-pass balance.”
No, no, no, coach. Do it right. It is happen -Run balance. The passport comes first. Remember that. Otherwise, your critics will run you out of town.
roller@dispatch.com
@rollerCD
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