The Ohio State Buckeyes dropped the ball in a big way during the Cotton Bowl Classic, losing 24-14 to the Miami Hurricanes in the first game OSU was shut out in the first half since the Urban Meyer era.
Ryan Day was to blame. Not solely, but primarily. As The Athletic's Cameron Teague Robinson noted, Day promised an up-tempo offense when it was necessary. Yet, despite a 14-0 halftime deficit, Day didn't deliver it.
"Ohio State did make some good adjustments in the second half. Bringing in Padilla helped the offense, and Sayin looked more comfortable with what he was seeing against the Hurricanes. Ohio State tallied 178 of its 332 total yards in the second half and scored touchdowns on its first two drives," Teague wrote.
"Still, the decision to avoid any tempo in the second half is the biggest critique of Day and the Ohio State offense in that game. The Buckeyes went up-tempo at the end of the first half and put together a 67-yard drive before Jayden Fielding missed a 49-yard field goal. So Ohio State trailed 14-0 at halftime, and instead of trying to maximize its offensive chances to get back in the game, it took 6 minutes, 44 seconds on its first scoring drive and 4:33 on its second scoring drive."
"Day spent the entire season saying that Ohio State would turn up the tempo when needed. He didn’t want to push the tempo to do so, which I still believe is smart during the regular season, but if there was a time to pick up the pace, it was in the second half when Ohio State needed to score three times to win. Otherwise, Day was banking on an offense that was shut out in the first half to be perfect. That’s just asking too much."
Ohio State could've covered up key deficiencies with up-tempo offense
Had Day sped up the game offensively, the team's two glaring weaknesses, at quarterback and at right guard, could've been covered up somewhat.
Gabe VanSickle couldn't contain the Canes' Akheem Mesidor on several big pressures, while Julian Sayin couldn't establish rhythm in the pocket as it was constantly collapsing. Getting the ball out quickly could've potentially prevented, or at least mitigated somewhat, the damage.
Day didn't adjust to his personnel. Instead, he was as stubborn as he always is with the clipboard, and now the Buckeyes are on the outside looking in as Miami battles a vulnerable Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinal for a chance to play either the Indiana Hoosiers or Oregon Ducks in the title game.
Brian Hartline looked like he was more up to the task than Day based on the 2025 season, but he had more pressing matters, like stepping down to the Group of 5 ranks to be a head coach.
Day should've been more prepared, though. That's what he's paid the big bucks to do.