Ohio State is perhaps the premier job in college football. The resources that are available to the head coach of the Ohio State football program make it almost impossible to fail. That's why the Buckeyes haven't had a losing record since the Luke Fickell gap year in 2011.
In short, Ryan Day has every opportunity to win games at the highest level. With that in mind, there is no reason that the Buckeyes should be blowing 20-point leads in the fourth quarter. Now, the honeymoon post-national championship is over for Day.
Ryan Day has lost most of the goodwill he earned from winning a national title
Being the head coach of Ohio State is not for everyone. The pressure is unlike any other job in the country. Losing to Texas on the road at night is nothing to be ashamed of on its face. However, it's the way the Ohio State Buckeyes that lost is what is so unacceptable.
Blowing a 20-point fourth-quarter lead is the biggest collapse in the history of the Ohio State football program. That is unacceptable, no matter who the opponent is. Day had every opportunity to fix the offense and have them sustain drives, or keep the defense from being so vanilla.
In the end, he did neither. He watched his team waste away and lose an opportunity to get the best win of anyone in college football. Had the Buckeyes lost by one point in a game that was back-and-forth the entire time, the fanbase would not be melting down the way they are right now.
The way the loss occurred does matter. The Buckeyes are a powerhouse program with five-star recruits all over the roster. Blowing such a big lead is a problem. It doesn't look like the Buckeyes have the firepower on offense that they thought they were going to have, either.
Ryan Day's lack of prioritizing special teams is costing Ohio State games
The special teams were another big issue. Connor Hawkins missed a kick in the fourth quarter that would have essentially won the game for the Buckeyes. It seems that there is still a kicking issue in Columbus, and that has been the case for the entirety of the Ryan Day era.
Punting was also an issue. Joe McGuire had the luxury of punting multiple times in Texas territory. Yet, he did not pin the Longhorns deep in their territory. He averaged just 39 yards per punt and didn't pin the Longhorns. He had a 26-yard punt that put Texas at their own 13. Why can't he get it inside the 10 or the 5-yard line?
Day has refused to prioritize special teams in his tenure, and it has cost Ohio State multiple games. Quite frankly, Ohio State could have won a national title in both 2023 and 2025 if it had a halfway decent field goal kicker. Instead, the Buckeyes can't win games late because of poor kicking.
Day has changed a lot in his eight years as a head coach. He hasn't changed enough.
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