The Ohio State football team had a tough time executing in the red zone in the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana. That lack of execution is why the Buckeyes were not able to beat Indiana and lose out on a conference title. Still, they had earned a bye week in the College Football Playoff.
Brian Hartline was heavily criticized for his play-calling in that game. Ryan Day came to his defense, claiming that he was still going to call plays. Hartline is going to become the head coach at USF once this run through the CFP is finished. Day clearly doesn't believe that Hartline is fully invested in the Buckeyes.
It doesn't seem that Day fully trusts Hartline to correct the red zone issues, because the team has been struggling close to the end zone all year long. In fact, Day has made the decision to strip play-calling duties from Hartline, and he will call the plays during the CFP.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day takes over as play-caller
The Buckeyes will move forward with Day as their primary play-caller. Day told the media his decision, although he noted that the offensive play-calling will be a collaborative effort. It's pretty clear that Day doesn't fully trust Hartline to focus enough on his duties with Ohio State while he's also juggling duties with USF.
Day hasn't called plays since the 2023 season. He gave up those duties last year when Chip Kelly was brought on to be the offensive coordinator. Day has had his own struggles with calling plays, so this isn't exactly a great solution for fans to have before they play Miami.
The Buckeyes still feel confident that they can win this game and beat anyone they face in the CFP. They are still perhaps the team with the most pure talent in the country. They feel great that they can beat the Hurricanes, and even with a rematch with Indiana if they face each other.