Ohio State is 1-3 in its final 4 video games, and Ryan Day wants to supply some solutions — quick

There actually isn’t a lot to be mentioned about what occurred to Ohio State on Saturday night time.

The Buckeyes dominated within the first half in opposition to Texas, holding a 20-3 lead on the half and increasing that to a 23-3 lead with 8:09 left within the third quarter. The Longhorns proceeded to attain touchdowns on three straight possessions as Ohio State sputtered out and collapsed, in the end shedding the sport 24-23.

It is among the many worst losses of the Ryan Day period, second to solely the 13-10 defeat to Michigan in 2024.

There isn’t any scarcity of the reason why the Buckeyes misplaced this sport.

Ohio State might muster solely three factors and 132 whole yards in your entire second half. After scoring factors on 4 of their first 5 drives of the sport, the Buckeyes’ 5 possessions within the second half netted three punts and two subject purpose makes an attempt, the second of which — a 45-yard kick that will’ve iced the sport with 4:21 remaining — wasn’t even shut.

That mentioned, whereas not each loss for Ohio State beneath Day has been this dramatic, virtually all of them have featured no less than two of three key components: shortcomings within the pink zone, poor clock administration and a disastrous particular groups unit.

Texas was virtually begging Ohio State to run away with it early on, gifting the Buckeyes a pink zone journey proper from their opening possession after a fumble. The ensuing drive netted 11 yards on six performs, and Day’s group ended up with a 26-yard subject purpose.

That was a central theme of the sport. Ohio State solely managed 13 factors on its first 4 journeys to the pink zone, with one other 30-yard subject purpose and a turnover on downs on the Texas 12-yard line thrown within the combine.

It was not dissimilar to the 2016 loss to Clemson within the College Football Playoff, the place the Buckeyes’ pink zone woes in the end turned a possible blowout right into a heartbreaking loss.

Then got here the poor clock administration. Once Texas received the ball to the Ohio State 1-yard line with 1:23 left to play, Day ought to have known as his last timeout and allowed the Longhorns to attain, giving Julian Sayin and the offense greater than a minute to attempt to put collectively a drive to win the sport solely needing a subject purpose.

Instead, the Buckeyes made Texas run three extra performs to achieve the tip zone, leaving Ohio State with 25 seconds left, zero timeouts and nil probability of any last-minute heroics.

It isn’t the primary time poor clock administration has aided in an Ohio State loss beneath Day, as a bungling of the ultimate possession in opposition to Georgia within the 2022 College Football Playoff noticed the Buckeyes get the ball again with 51 seconds left earlier than mustering solely a 50-yard subject purpose try, which they clearly missed, with three seconds remaining.

Which brings me to the ultimate level: particular groups.

Ohio State’s particular groups has been a whole and utter catastrophe all through Day’s tenure in Columbus.

A missed subject purpose performed a consider that Georgia loss, a missed chip-shot led to a loss in opposition to Indiana in final 12 months’s Big Ten title sport, and one other missed kick in opposition to Miami within the College Football Playoff might’ve modified the tenor of that contest — simply to call just a few!

Even after they went out a received a ‘proven’ kicker, it nonetheless didn’t work out. Connor Hawkins missed a possible game-sealing 45-yard subject purpose with 4:21 remaining. The kick would’ve made a comeback almost inconceivable at 26-17, however as an alternative Texas was given the possibility to take snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and so they did.

It hasn’t solely been subject objectives, although. Punting has additionally been objectively horrible.

Joe McGuire ranked 109th in FBS in punting a 12 months in the past, and Ohio State had no difficulty trotting him again on the market for this season. After averaging 41 yards per punt in opposition to Ball State — a mark that will have tied for 113th nationally in 2025 — he averaged 39 yards per punt in opposition to Texas.

The Buckeyes’ lack of ability to flip the sector didn’t lose them the sport in opposition to the Longhorns, however it definitely didn’t assist! It is inexcusable for a spot like Ohio State to not have the ability to exit and get no less than a replacement-level punter.

It could seem to be a small factor, however when expertise equates in video games of this magnitude you merely should win on the margins. Day clearly doesn’t perceive that this additionally applies to the particular groups unit, and it continues to burn him in these massive video games irrespective of what number of losses they take.

Ohio State is now in a really bizarre spot.

The Buckeyes have misplaced three of their final 4 video games, and whereas they are going to have just a few tune-up alternatives arising earlier than their subsequent massive matchup in opposition to Indiana on Oct. 17, why ought to we actually count on something to vary?

Day’s groups proceed to lose the identical kinds of video games in the identical kinds of methods, and he has but to study from any of them. The offense turtles when occasions get powerful, the protection has hassle getting stops late, the particular groups unit is totally ineffective and the time administration is nonsensical.

The head coach goes to have to have a look within the mirror and determine an actual, materials repair to a few of these issues, or we’re going to see just a few comparable outcomes come October and November.