Ohio State’s Ryan Day Uncovers Huge Flaw Ohio State Must Correct This Season

For Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, perfection is a non-negotiable in his program. This past season, Ohio State wasn't perfect, and it cost them dearly.

An underwhelming Cotton Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes and an inconsistent display from Day's special teams unit did them in against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten title game. The common denominator, though, was that both losses came down to fourth-quarter execution. And, before long, the season ended with more questions than rightful answers.

Day's emphasis on cleaning up fourth-quarter miscues was a major sticking point in a recent interview with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. In so many words, this fall should be defined by what Ohio State does, win or lose, instead of the opposition seizing the Buckeyes' opportunities.

"We're going to have to win games in the fourth quarter this season," Day told Rittenberg. "Look at the schedule that we have. We've got to be really good at that."

Day isn't joking. It starts as early as their Big Ten opener in September against Bret Bielema's Illinois Fighting Illini. Even though the Illini lost a wealth of experience from last year's Music City Bowl team, including quarterback Luke Altmyer, they have built a reputation of being a fourth-quarter comeback type of team (i.e., wins against the USC Trojans, Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks, to name a few) over the past few seasons.

The same can be said for the defending national champion Hoosiers, who rallied to beat Penn State on the game's final play in State College and survived scares against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Oregon Ducks, to name a few. Both teams will meet in Bloomington in October in a game that could decide just how many Big Ten teams can stack up amongst the conference's elite.

Ultimately, though, the staff tends to agree that fourth-quarter execution needs to be tighter.

"It's what you want; it should bring out the best in you once you understand what it takes," new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. "Preparing guys who want to play in the NFL, the margins are small. Those games, you see it every time you watch that NFL Red Zone, you watch highlights from the NFL, the majority of those games come down to the last couple of minutes. The margins are small."

The Buckeyes are attempting to win their second national title in three seasons under Day's leadership.

But only time will tell if their emphasis on fourth quarter execution actually goes according to plan.

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