Ryan Day is second-guessing himself after Ohio State's heartbreaking 24-23 loss to Texas, and he's not hiding from it. The Buckeyes' head coach admitted Tuesday that he made the wrong call on the Longhorns' final drive, a decision that ultimately sealed his team's fate.
With Texas facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line and just over a minute remaining, Day had a choice: let the Longhorns score to get the ball back with time on the clock, or trust his defense to make a stand. He chose the latter, and after two stops, Texas punched it in with 25 seconds left. Ohio State got the ball back but a holding penalty and a quick interception ended any hope of a comeback.
"It didn't work, so yes," Day said when asked if he regretted not letting Texas score earlier, per Lyle Alenstein of Eleven Warriors. The coach elaborated on his thought process, explaining that he and his staff discussed the scenario and initially planned to let Texas score on second down if they didn't stop them. But after the defense made a stop on second down, Day decided to take his chances.
"We talked about it, and decided that we were gonna play defense on second down," Day said. "And then when we got that stop, right there, we said, 'Alright, we're gonna take our chances. Put the ball down for one yard and see if we can stop them for two downs and win the game.' If they were to score there, on second down, then we would have gone from there. It didn't work out."
The decision left Ohio State with almost no time to respond, and the offense couldn't engineer a miracle. But Day was quick to point out that the final drive wasn't the only reason his team lost. The Buckeyes blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, allowing three straight touchdown drives and two fourth-down conversions. A missed field goal by Connor Hawkins with four minutes left would have extended the lead to 10, but it sailed wide.
"When you look at not being able to get off the field on defense, when you're really not able to sustain any drives on offense, and then we missed the field goal— all three phases didn't get it done in the fourth quarter," Day said. "So we've all got to own that."
The loss was a bitter pill for Ohio State, especially after such a dominant first half. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was unstoppable early, putting up numbers that went viral on social media. But the offense stalled in the second half, and the defense couldn't hold the line against Texas' relentless comeback.
Texas, meanwhile, celebrated a historic victory, with fans and even politicians like Ted Cruz rubbing it in. The Longhorns' comeback was fueled by a raucous home crowd, and the atmosphere at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium was electric. For Ohio State, the pain of the loss will linger, especially with the stunning collapse now part of program lore.
Day's admission is a rare moment of accountability from a coach who's known for his meticulous preparation. But as he looks ahead, he knows the Buckeyes have to move on. "We've all got to own that," he said, and that starts with him. The decision on that final drive will haunt him, but it's also a lesson he won't forget.
