Instant Observations: Mental Hurdle Gets Higher as Buckeyes Fall to Michigan Again

Ohio State suffered its most embarrassing defeat yet to Michigan during the Ryan Day Era as the offense completely sputtered in a 13-10 loss on Saturday afternoon.

The Instant Observations might have more questions than answers as the Buckeyes will once again be at home for the Big Ten championship game and must regroup for the upcoming first round of the playoffs.

1. This is undoubtedly the worst loss of Ryan Day’s head-coaching career. Not just of the Michigan games, but of his entire OSU tenure. Ohio State was an enormous favorite with talent advantages across the board and everything to play for against a team that doesn’t have a functioning quarterback. In a different era where this game would have cost them a playoff/BCS championship berth, this would’ve been the worst loss this program has sustained since the 1998 game against Michigan State.

2. It wasn’t the defense this time, however. The Buckeyes hadn’t turned Michigan over since the first quarter of the 2021 game (yes, really) but turned the Wolverines over twice in the second half today. One saved a touchdown, the other should have set Ohio State up for one.

3. Game Ball goes to Caleb Downs. Ohio State has lacked impact plays from its defensive stars in this game during the losing streak. But Downs came to play today. With Travis Hunter officially out of the Thorpe running (which is a crime, by the way), Downs should absolutely win the Thorpe. He is, by far, the best safety in college football and the only corner on his level was somehow not voted as a finalist.

4. The other two-thirds of the team today was a complete debacle. Ohio State has struggled for years now to consistently have a reliable kicker. That absolutely has to change this off-season. Good kickers have a way of bailing out teams who don’t play well and that could have happened today if not for a couple of missed chip shots.

5. The entire special teams, which have been bad most of the year but showed some signs of life recently, was an abomination today. Ryan Day rightfully released Parker Fleming from his duties this past off-season and now he has to take responsibility for the special teams product this season. This was the worst one yet with two missed field goals, starting the second half your own 6 because of a botched return, and even the great Caleb Downs, not fielding a punt he absolutely had to field which completely flipped the field on the Buckeyes. It feels like every year around this time I say that this can’t continue next year, and yet somehow it does.

6. I don’t know where the Chip Kelly from the Oregon and Penn State games went. Kelly was masterful in both of those games and kept both of those defenses on their heels all game. Today was a nightmare performance.

Jeremiah Smith wasn’t targeted in the second half. Of course, Howard’s decisions weren’t inspiring a ton of confidence, but that’s no excuse to keep banging your head into the wall instead of taking advantage of your major mismatches on the outside.

Even in the run game, Judkins breaks one on the speed option that has worked all year and they never went back to it.

Among the most very bizarre offensive game plans I’ve seen in my 30+ years of watching Ohio State football. I’ll never understand this one and it totally blindsided me given how well Kelly had called the previous big games.

7. Ryan Day must share in this, however. Day and Kelly work closely together. Day is on the headset all game and can veto calls. Clearly the two were on the same page today as Day could have, at any point, told Chip to stop running the ball between the tackles and to start getting the ball out to the perimeter to their play makers, you know, the thing that was working today.

The special teams and these type of in-game adjustments were supposed to improve because Day was freed up to focus on big picture things by not calling plays.

My theory? Day continues to have rabbit ears about the “toughness” talk and wanted to beat Michigan at its own game to change that narrative instead of doing what was best for the team to win the game and paying the naysayers no mind.

8. This was also, by far, Will Howard’s worst performance as a Buckeye. What a recipe for disaster when your OC and QB have their worst games. The hit by Makari Page is no excuse. If he wasn’t in good shape, someone else has to go in. Howard did this team no favors today, teeing up a touchdown for Michigan with a poorly thrown ball along the sideline and then taking three points (well, maybe) off the board with a redzone INT. In two areas of the field where you absolutely cannot throw an interception he did as a fifth year player. That’s just inexcusable.

9. There will be a lot of finger pointing about the skirmish after the game. Honestly, it’s whatever for me. Michigan won again and Ohio State had 60 minutes to prevent them from planting that flag. Conversely, I watched an OSU team a couple of years ago just walk off the field and let Michigan plant the flag and do nothing so I have no problems with Ohio State players getting physical to not allow that celebration to occur. It’s all just rivalry stuff to me.

10. Ryan Day’s seat at Ohio State has never been warm with the decision makers, though it certainly has been with some fans. If Ohio State doesn’t regroup to win a national championship, this will be the most miserable off-season to date for Day and his detractors and I wonder if either side is ready for that.

11. Despite all of this, this team must dig deep and find a way to regroup. They are likely going to get a home playoff game. They may even get some favorable matchups in the bracket, we’ll have to see, but they have to move past this quickly because they are playing for a chance at a national championship in less than three weeks. No time at all to feel sorry for themselves.