The Ohio State football team was a massive favorite heading into the Cotton Bowl. After only losing one game all season long, the Buckeyes came in with confidence that they could beat the Hurricanes. Instead, they were beaten physically in every possible way, especially in the first half.
After a scoreless first half, the Ohio State Buckeyes lost the game 24-14. Jayden Fielding missed yet another kick in a big game, but the offense couldn't get going. Ryan Day made the decision to take the play-calling out of Brian Hartline's hands after a poor showing against Indiana.
Day took over play-calling for the first time since 2023. He thought that he could step right into it and still call a game that was good enough to win the game. Instead, the Hurricanes revealed Day's biggest flaw as a head coach, and it's his ego as a play-caller.
Ryan Day should never call another play for the Ohio State football team
Day was able to win a national championship a year ago with Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator and play-caller. Kelly was able to unlock a level that the Buckeyes hadn't seen during the College Football Playoff. Day has never been able to come close to those heights.
This embarrassing loss shows that Day should never call another game while he is with Ohio State. He needs to get a play-caller in who can take the reins and actually do something to win big games. It's clear that him staying as the play-caller is not the right move.
Day needs to make a hire as soon as possible, and promoting internally probably isn't the right move, either. He needs to get someone from outside the program who can take over the offense and actually get this team to win in big games.
For how good the regular season was, this was the worst possible way for the season to end.