Ohio State Football: Buckeyes need to question state of the program

The Ohio State football team was absolutely embarrassed on Saturday afternoon against Michigan. Certain questions need to be raised about the program.

The Ohio State football team got crushed by the Michigan Wolverines Saturday in Ohio Stadium. This goes beyond standard Xs and Os. With this type of loss, it’s time for those in charge to open their eyes to see what is actually going on here. The media and fans alike have swept too many things under the rug and have not held this Buckeye staff responsible for certain things.

Let’s start with play calling. Ryan Day admitted to being stubborn earlier in the season by trying to prove to his team that they can run it in short-yardage situations. He has had issues getting plays in late. They have had issues trying to get the perfect play called at the line of scrimmage instead of just running the called play.

Day has arguably one of the best play callers in the nation sitting in the coaching box not calling plays in Kevin Wilson. He is way overqualified for his current job. Give him some responsibility, and let Wilson call the plays. The time has come for Day to focus on the program from a macro level. He needs to get out of the film room and start holding assistant coaches, staff, and other personnel accountable.

Let’s move to recruiting. Are the Buckeyes recruiting like a top program in the country? I don’t believe they are. Ohio State is currently the sixth-ranked class in 2023 by 247Sports. But let’s take a closer look. They only have one five-star player in wide receiver Brandon Innis. They only have one defensive player in the top 100 recruits of the class. That is not good enough at Ohio State. It just isn’t.

Where are the secondary recruits? What’s going on at defensive end? Offensive tackle? These questions need to be answered. Mark Pantoni and his staff have been getting praised for a decade now, and rightfully so. But these last few classes have not been up to Ohio State standards.

Let’s talk about the two-million-dollar man in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Did he improve the defense from last season? Yes. But just about anybody could have from that disaster. And honestly, I thought Knowles was saving something special for Michigan schematically.

He’s been great at disguising coverages all season long. Where was that on Saturday? His grand plan was to play zero coverage and leave his corners on islands? The same corners who have been getting beat all season long? What a joke.

How about the lack of discipline? The Ohio State football team was flagged six times in the second half against Michigan for over 70 yards. Michigan was flagged zero times. Accountability. Focus. Attention to detail. All things this Buckeyes team lacks. Gee Scott’s absurd personal foul on the sidelines was inexcusable and something good programs don’t do in key game situations.

Ryan Day better quickly peel back the onion and figure out what is going wrong and where within this program. It’s time to start being calculated and ruthless. Something Urban Meyer mastered. If he can’t figure it out soon, Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, or maybe even Urban Meyer will.