Ryan Day had an 'inkling' about sideline communication outage at Michigan Stadium

The Ohio State Buckeyes came out on top of The Game for the first time in four tries when Ryan Day's team defeated Michigan by a score of 27-9 this past Saturday in Ann Arbor.

The victory was just the second in the rivalry for Day, who now owns a 2-4 record in matchups against the Wolverines.

However, it seems clear that Day is riding high after the victory as the Buckeyes prepare for No. 2 Indiana this Saturday ahead of the Big Ten title game.

On Tuesday, Day met with reporters and was asked about Ohio State's head set communication being disrupted in the second half in the win over Michigan, which occurred in the second half, according to Day.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore part ways following the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Day's 'inkling'

Apparently, Day had a suspicion earlier in the week about communication at the Big House being cut off for their coaching staff. Therefore, he told reporters the team had a contingency plan in place just in case.

"The good news was, earlier that week, I thought there may be an inkling that that may happen," Day said. "So, we had a plan for it. We had a wristband plan, and then we had to bring Julian (Sayin) over and that was just getting us through it until we got the headsets back up and running."

When a reporter followed up about Day's "inkling," Day explained why he had one.

"You just got to be ready for anything," Day said. "When you go into any big game, you're always trying to put contingency plans in place for anything that could possibly happen. I think some of the guys on the staff were looking at me sideways," Day said, "like, 'Why would you think that would happen?' I said, 'I just don't know. We just got to be ready for anything.' It's funny how your mind works."

Day then gave a wink, which drew laughs from the media.

Did Michigan 'cut the cord' on Ohio State's communication?

There is no evidence from credible reports that suggest Ohio State's sideline communication going down was done intentionally by anyone at Michigan, despite Day's "inkling."

On the FOX broadcast, Joel Klatt didn't bring up Sayin going to the sideline to get plays until the -fourth quarter. At that point in the game, the Buckeyes were already up 27-9 and the result was in no doubt.

Ryan Day said Ohio State’s comms went out on the sideline at Michigan. But he said the Buckeyes prepared for that before the game because he had an “inkling” it might happen.
Why an inkling?
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— Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) December 2, 2025

It's unclear at exactly what point the Ohio State staff lost headset communication, but Day mentioned it was corrected later in the game. If the Wolverines were to in theory try to do something like that intentionally, as Day seems to be implying, then why would they restore it at all?

On top of that, why would Michigan wait until the team is trailing in the second half to do such a thing? If there were something nefarious going on, why not act in the first half?

Of course, Day's unsubstantiated suggestion is just another example of the Ohio State program and its fanbase's obsession with the belief the Buckeyes couldn't beat the Wolverines for four straight years because Michigan "cheated," in their eyes.

Never mind that OSU couldn't win the rushing battle in any of those seasons or compete at the line of scrimmage—but it's easier to blame an outside force instead of taking personal responsibility.

In the 2025 version of The Game, there's no doubt OSU deserved to win and were the better team. But it looks like while the Buckeyes are on top, their coach is going to get his shots in while he can.

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