The timing of Brian Hartline's announcement to become the USF Bulls' next head coach had a lot to do with the Ohio State Buckeyes' Big Ten title game loss to the Indiana Hoosiers a few weeks ago. Ryan Day has since demoted Hartline from lead play-calling duties, with the December dead period giving the head coach the chance to focus exclusively on X's and O's ahead of a Cotton Bowl Classic matchup with the Miami Hurricanes.
That has split the fanbase down the middle. Naturally, one thinks of Day's bad games, like 2024's edition of "The Game," and not the good times, like the 2022 Peach Bowl, a 42-41 loss to the 15-0, undefeated juggernaut Georgia Bulldogs.
Bucknuts' Patrick Murphy doesn't believe there's any reason to be anything but fired up about the prospect of Day returning to his play-calling roots. Day was Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator in 2017 before taking over on an interim basis in 2018, and then securing the full-time job in 2019.
"For Day, this should be like riding a bike. He called plays for seven years before becoming a head coach. Even after taking over for Meyer, Day remained the play caller for one of the nation's top offenses," Murphy prefaced before saying, "With Hartline calling plays, the Scarlet and Gray ranked top 25 nationally in yards per game (429.5) and top 20 in scoring offense this season (34.9 points per game). While Hartline did a good job in his first season calling plays, he didn't establish himself as indispensable in that role for Ohio State."
"Day, however, did so in his two seasons as offensive coordinator in Columbus, as the Buckeyes ranked No. 7 and No. 2 in total offense and No. 6 and No. 8 in scoring offense, respectively, averaging 520.8 yards and 41.75 points per game over that span. Even with Day balancing head-coaching and play-calling duties, the Scarlet and Gray averaged 501.82 yards and 41.66 points per game."
"A Day free of culture-building, NIL concerns, and recruiting worries makes Ohio State's offense dangerous. Buckeye fans saw that last year when Day took on a larger offensive role in the Playoff, with the Scarlet and Gary averaging 36.24 points during the four-game run. While Day didn't take over play-calling in the 2024 postseason, his increased influence was evident as part of Ohio State's national championship push."
Miami has a defense that needed extra attention
Miami has a defense that ranks in the top 10 in scoring and third-down conversion. The Hurricanes can do just enough defensively to give quarterback Carson Beck, Swiss army knife receiver Malachi Toney, and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. the chance to put up, realistically, somewhere between 14 and 17 points. OSU hasn't given up 20 points all year, and Indiana, with Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza running the show, only put up 13 points.
Miami has the athletes to get to Julian Sayin in the backfield. You take away the Buckeyes' elite receivers, and all of a sudden, Bo Jackson has to beat the Canes by himself. That's a favorable outcome for Corey Hetherman and Co.
Good thing Day got the chance to lock in and focus on out-scheming "The U" with the extra time not spent on the recruiting trail.