Ryan Day can't win for losing this season. Even though Ohio State defeated Northwestern 28-19 in Week 11, Day made a strange, unforced error about star receiver Jeremiah Smith's role in the offense.
Day claimed that winning is the No. 1 priority, then transitioned to why Smith was targeted 17 times with the word "but," as if the two ideas weren't directly intertwined.
“Well, at the end of the day, the No. 1 goal is to win, but we also have an obligation to this young man. What he’s done for our program, who he is as a person, how he plays, what he does for his teammates, what he means for this program. He deserves the opportunity to touch the football," Day said postgame.
Why, Ryan? Why must a losing streak-breaking win be followed up with a statement that has some wondering if getting Smith the ball is not what the coaching staff believes will put the team in the best position to win football games?
It's a ridiculous thought. Smith is one of the only reasons this team has been winning games all season. He's certainly not matched by any peers in the receiving corps. He has proven to be the best receiver in the history of Ohio State football.
Day could've worded that statement better. He obviously wasn't saying that he's sacrificing winning to get Smith the ball, but the fact that anyone could think that's what he meant means Day badly misspoke.
Ryan Day campaigning for Jeremiah Smith to win the Heisman
Day made the case for JJ Smith to be the Heisman winner this year, which is something many had high hopes for before Julian Sayin's likely season-ending injury.
Day believes Smith "deserves it in a big way."
“Maybe there is a better player out there, but this guy is completely dominant. I think he deserves it in a big way. We still have to finish the season the right way," Day said.
Frankly, if anyone has a strong Heisman case in light of recent events, it's Sayin. Smith's production fell off at the wrong time, during an extremely difficult stretch, and you could directly tie the declining vibes in Central Ohio to Sayin's absence. Obviously, Sayin won't qualify, even if there isn't a specific game limit and he isn't disqualified from that alone.
Whoever wins the award won't be coming from the Scarlet and Gray, though. You can't carry this much chaos into the last month of the season and have one of your players honored with that award.
Day isn't wrong when he says no one is as dominant. He might be wrong when suggesting that there may be a better player out there. When this Buckeyes offense was at full strength, Smith was doing NFL top-pick-worthy things every week.
Unfortunately, the planets simply didn't align for a Heisman win for No. 4. Hopefully, he'll get one last chance in the CFP, since Smith can still lift Ohio State past most opponents when he's at his best.
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