Ohio State’s Ryan Day Criticized After Timid Play-Calling vs. Michigan

No. 3 Michigan had No. 2 Ohio State on the ropes in the second half of a winner-take-all edition of The Game on Saturday afternoon. Still, Ryan Day opted to make a handful of conservative decisions that had much of the college football world in disbelief. 

After the Buckeyes held a narrow three-point lead at halftime, the Wolverines came out in a fury in the third quarter and managed to take a two-score advantage by the time the fourth quarter came around. Nevertheless, Day opted multiple times to punt the ball with his team trailing, much to the surprise of those watching. 

Though the choice to punt the ball away on the Michigan 45-yard line with six minutes remaining in the third quarter seemed excusable at the time, Ohio State punted again early in the fourth quarter after just three plays. At the time, the Buckeyes were trailing by 11 points and a large portion of the college football world felt strongly that Day should’ve been aggressive and tried to convert the fourth-and-three.

Day and the Buckeyes had yet another special year in 2022, but plenty of his critics will point back to his play-calling in The Game as a major lapse. For the first time since 1999 and 2000, Ohio State will have dropped consecutive games to Michigan, a result that won’t go over well with the Buckeyes faithful. 

Buckeyes Now: Ohio State’s Henderson, Smith-Njigba Out, Jones Game-Time Decision Against Michigan

For more Ohio State coverage, go to Buckeyes Now.