“Fun is kicking ass…and that’s what we want to do on Saturday.” – Ryan Day. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Ryan Day says preparation and avoiding distractions are key to breaking the four-game losing streak to Michigan and having some fun. He’s done everything he can think of to make that happen and ensure victory in The Game.
Columbus, OH – The formula for Ohio State to beat Michigan is complex. Or, it’s become complex because explaining four straight losses challenges every problem-solving and critical-thinking skill we possess.
Easy answers don’t exist. Every query feels like a trick question.
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For much of Tuesday’s shorter-than-normal news conference, Ryan Day filtered his answers and displayed the demeanor you would expect during Michigan Week, the week he’s lost the past four years.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
The national championship coach gripped both sides of the podium. He didn’t smile. He repeated words he’s said all season, words said about The Game every year, solving nothing and enlightening no one. Biblical-level words of wisdom?
No way.
Because as much as we all seek the quote that sums up how to approach and, more importantly, win The Game, the magic words do not exist that satisfy the public. A miracle cure to a four-game losing streak to the Wolverines is not a discovery waiting to happen. Sports don’t work that way. A win over Michigan is 12 months in the making, not in inspirational pregame speeches.
Heavy stuff weighing heavy on this program and its coach.
Then Day was asked if it’s fun to be the Ohio State head football coach this week, a novel concept to be sure. A smile broke out from behind his dark beard, and the filter didn’t hold as much back.
“Like I say, fun is kicking ass,” Day said. “That’s what we want to do on Saturday.”
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If Day had preached that in church, there would have been a chorus of hearty amens. As it was, the assembled media laughed. Did he just say that?
“There’s nothing funny about this at all,” he said, “but the fun part is winning.”
As it should be. Being on the No. 1 team, getting to play on national TV, earning recognition can be part of the fun. But when the scoreboard says you lost, the fun is gone. Day and every one of his players know that empty feeling of losing to Michigan.
Not a player on the roster owns a victory over the Wolverines. I wondered, what is the average life span of a Wolverine in the wild. The answer: five to 10 years. The Buckeyes intend to shorten it to four years in the belly of the Big House beast.
Not a player on the Buckeye roster owns a win over Michigan. Quarterback Julian Sayin seeks to medicate that condition on Saturday.
Before Day turned the filter back on, he spoke like a prophet.
“We’ll save the fun for being in the locker room and celebrating after the game,” Day said.
To get inside, away from the watching world, and have fun late Saturday afternoon, the Buckeyes must accomplish two things this week: finish the year-long preparation and avoid distractions, both common themes for Day this season.
“Just getting rid of all the distractions and getting with your guys and getting ready to go play a game,” Day said. “It’s a preparation week after week after week after week to be at our best for this one right here. All the foundation’s been set.”
Distractions always exist, now more than ever, and as much for Ohio State as any team.
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Trophies for individual accomplishments are coming for some Buckeyes: Caleb Downs is a finalist for the Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski, Lott Impact and Thorpe awards. Jeremiah Smith is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, Arvell Reese for the Butkus Award, Kayden McDonald for the Outland and Julian Sayin for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell awards, and he’s a potential Heisman finalist.
NIL deals, lots of money for some and how to spend or invest it are new distractions. Media responsibilities and hosting podcasts can add up to too much time away from football.
Michigan’s first three wins in its streak can’t be dismissed as purely Ohio State failures. The first two had a ton to do with Ohio State’s flawed defense that Jim Knowles had under construction.
Last year’s loss? That was all Ohio State’s doing. How did it happen?
The No. 1 cause was distraction. Not by the players, but by the coaching staff.
Led by Day – and maybe Day went unchallenged – the Buckeyes distracted themselves. They thought they could only win the game by rushing for more yards than Michigan, which didn’t happen 172 to 77.
Still, the Buckeyes lost by three points on a last-minute field goal, passing for only 175 yards. Yes, Will Howard’s head banger surely had something to do with that. But the stubbornness to prove toughness by running the football 26 times for 3.0 yards a carry cost them the game.
Ohio State might run the ball 40 times Saturday…and if they do it will be because it’s working – because Bo Jackson is working.
Ohio State might run the football 40 times Saturday. But if they do, it won’t be out of stubbornness, it will be because it’s working, because Bo Jackson is working. More likely, the Buckeyes will have at least Jeremiah Smith back and throw 30 to 40 times, doing what they do best, to win going away.
What has Day said from the beginning of this season?
“The No. 1 goal is to win the game.”
To achieve such an elusive goal, you can bet Day and play caller Brian Hartline will follow what’s working and avoid round pegs and square holes.
Also, and perhaps just as crucial, Day’s treatment of the rivalry has been different publicly. He’s not afraid to talk about The Game when asked, but he references it far less when not asked. In the past, he wasn’t shy about stating the team goals, which always included “beat our rival.”
Day’s mission, instead, has been to say less and create a closer-to-normal Michigan Week this year to the outside world and, to a lesser extent, inside the locker room. The Buckeyes still talk about The Game, still think about it, still dream about winning it, but they’ve saved up their public talk – which won’t be a lot and certainly not inflammatory – for this week.
Day said the space between his team and the outside world will increase this week. Maybe so, but that intentional process began months ago.
“This week, what you try to do is, you just try to bring everybody a little bit closer, a little bit tighter,” Day said. “And we’ll do the same thing when we get up there. Maybe because it’s Thanksgiving week we all just get a little bit closer and batten down all the hatches.”
The question? What kind of team emerges from those hatches?
One distracted and haunted by the past? Or, one ready to follow the No. 1 goal of winning, kicking the Wolverines tails and having a lot of fun when it’s over?
Answers begin Saturday at noon.
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