Ranking the top 3 most unique tailgates in college football
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After his third straight loss to Michigan — an almost unforgivable sin for any Ohio State coach — Ryan Day has only two choices, one of which will define the rest of his career.
He must either commit to completely ditching the ultra-conservative approach that once again cost him the only game that really matters or admit to himself that he’s not the right guy for Ohio State and make a quick run at Texas A&M.
Unlike the past two years, Saturday wasn’t a huge indictment of Day’s play or Ohio State’s toughness. It wasn’t an explosion or embarrassment. Quite simply, Michigan won 30-24 because its quarterback played a little better than Ohio State.
That’s the difference between winning the Big Ten and staying home next week. That’s what separates a College Football Playoff berth from a disappointing postseason. Despite all the accusations surrounding this rivalry, the difference between the two teams turned out to be clear and simple.
But that three-year stretch of Michigan dominance — the first since 1995-97 — is now a piece of the pie for any conversation about Day moving forward. If he can steer the competition back toward Ohio State, it will be the “yes, buts” that will always linger in the background. If he doesn’t, his near-pristine record against everyone else in college football won’t be enough to save his job at some point.
This is where Texas A&M University comes in.
Considering that it’s agent season, and agents often have reason to be overly concerned with their clients or just make things up out of whole cloth, it was surprising Saturday when Bruce Feldman of Fox and The Athletic said the Aggies could make a run on Day Replacing Jimbo Fisher.
It makes sense. Texas A&M University loves to hire colorful employees and has a pretty much endless supply of financial resources, but there’s no obvious candidate with a proven track record of winning at the highest level.
The idea of a Texas A&M coach poaching an Ohio State coach would normally be laughable. But these are not normal circumstances, and the opportunity to hire an established 56-7 winner as head coach is absolutely worth a shot.
Had Ohio State won on Saturday, that possibility would have faded quickly. Ohio State is a better job than Texas A&M with largely equal resources, and Day has proven he can come very close to winning a national title there.
But at Ohio State, winning the game is everything. It is possible that Day was not designed for a function where 365 days per year are focused on a single opponent.
Because if you watch Day coach against anyone else, and then watch him coach against Michigan, it’s clear that’s on his mind. It narrows. Goes to the shell. He makes decisions that indicate that he is a little afraid of making the wrong choice.
What makes it worse is that his counterpart Saturday, Michigan offensive coordinator and interim coach Sherron Moore, didn’t have that problem.
In the unenviable position of replacing the suspended Jim Harbaugh, Moore pitched a pretty much perfect game. He looked completely in control on the sidelines. He took calculated risks without being overly aggressive. He went for the fourth down when it made sense — and was rewarded with a 3-of-3 conversion. Michigan didn’t look like a better team than Ohio State, but it was better enough on the margin to win.
Meanwhile, when Day had some opportunities to play aggressive football, he did not take them. On the Buckeyes’ second offensive series, they faced fourth-and-1 on the 46-yard line.
Admittedly, this is a limiting call for any coach. But considering that day came out of the Michigan game the past two years under heavy criticism for keeping such tight control over one of the most talented offenses of the decade, it seemed like a moment to send a message about the Buckeyes’ intentions, keep the ball and get the early score on board. The Plane. Instead, Day ran — not necessarily a bad decision, but certainly a fearful one.
However, Day’s most egregious sin occurred at the end of the half after he drove the Buckeyes from the 2-yard line to the Michigan 34 with less than a minute remaining. Trailing 14-10 and facing a 4th-and-2, the right risk/reward play was to try to get a quick first down and leave enough time to maybe get into the end zone and steal the lead before halftime.
Instead, Day was so afraid of not making the first snap and giving Michigan a few extra plays that he ran the clock all the way and sent Jayden Fielding for a 52-yard field goal. Keep in mind that Fielding, in his first year as a starter, had never attempted a 50-yard rusher before for the Buckeyes. It was a low-percentage decision disguised as a safe choice, and Day got what he bargained for when Fielding missed.
Are these two decisions responsible for Ohio State’s loss? No, not directly.
In the end, it boiled down to Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy playing a clean game for the Wolverines when they needed it most and Kyle McCord finding the stage too big. He threw a really terrible interception in the first quarter that pretty much gave Michigan seven points, then threw another on the final series when Ohio State was driving to a potential victory.
If you want to blame Day for failing to recruit or develop a better quarterback, that’s fine. But McCarthy’s years of experience as a starter and McCord’s inability to get significant reps until this season because he was blocked by CJ Stroud showed in this game. This is football.
But on a macro level, Day faces a real problem with this confrontation. Michigan plays and practices with confidence and freedom. Ohio State plays and practices with inhibitions that suggest they feel a lot more pressure.
Today should change that dynamic. There’s no other choice for him — except now, perhaps, to ditch everything for College Station, a big pile of money and a different set of prospects.
After another crushing disappointment at the hands of Michigan, a fresh start could be a very attractive outcome for all parties.
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