by Kyle Golik
Fake news and misinformation have become commonplace on social media these days. One of the most recent examples occurred last week on X (or Twitter, whatever Elon Musk wants to call it these days) by James Yoder.
“I love Ryan Day, I do. But with Jim Harbaugh not coaching, this is a must-win game vs. Michigan.”
“You don’t survive as the coach at Ohio State if you lose to an interim coach. That’s just the way it is.” the alleged quote, which was posted by James Yoder on X.
The hysteria behind the post led former Ohio State head coach and current FOX analyst Urban Meyer to debunk the quote as “complete nonsense.”
Complete nonsense. Never said this, never would. Go Bucks. https://t.co/BHXh7Cgg5B
— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) November 17, 2023
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The fake post has been an accelerant on the topic where Mason, Ohio native and host of The Dan Patrick Show, Dan Patrick addressed it on his show, “This is what you’re judged on at Ohio State and Michigan,” Patrick said. “If you lose 3 in a row I at least think the temperature rises a little bit. May not be a hot seat, but there’s heat and humidity in the building.”
Patrick went on to describe fair criticisms of Day’s that they lack the physical toughness to handle physical teams like Michigan and in the second halves, it has been a runaway for the Wolverines as they dominate the line of scrimmage and just impose their wills in the second half.
When you look at the resume of Ryan Day against teams that aren’t from Ann Arbor, he boasts a 54-4 record, with three of his losses coming in the College Football Playoffs against Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia.
His lone regular-season defeat came at the Horseshoe in 2021 against Oregon 35-28.
The internal microscope on Day focuses on the 1-2 record against “The Team Up North.” Those two losses to the Wolverines are his only two Big Ten losses during his tenure.
Should Day and the Buckeyes lose a third consecutive contest to their rival, what changes could feasibly be made?
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was the adjustment following the major defensive letdown against Michigan where the Wolverines had 297 yards rushing and averaged over seven yards per carry in a 42-27 win that snapped Ohio State’s eight-game winning streak.
After a rough transition in Knowles’ first season in 2022, the 2023 Ohio State defense seems to be a strength again having the second-best scoring defense in the country at 9.3 points per game (only Michigan at nine points per game is better).
Offensively, quarterback Kyle McCord has not put up the eye-popping passing statistics that previous Buckeye signal callers have posted. McCord has heated up the last four games tossing 10 touchdowns and had a career-best 335 yards passing against Michigan State.
During his weekly press conference, Day was asked about what has changed in the rivalry to swing in Michigan’s favor, “I don’t know. I think it’s a good question, but we take every year as it is and go from there. There are guys with scars, and I’m one of ‘em. So, it just drives you every day to work harder and to make sure you do everything you possibly can to win the game.”
Yesterday, Jim Harbaugh was asked if he respected Ryan Day. The tables turned on Tuesday afternoon as Day was asked a similar question about Harbaugh. pic.twitter.com/NAXYfpbluE
— BuckeyeHuddle.com (@BuckeyeHuddle) November 21, 2023
In the grand scheme of coaching, Day is a babyface with nearly zero scars.
Grant you, losing to “The Team Up North” are scars that are very deep and never forgotten, but with Day knowing Michigan cheated him out of two wins, knowing Jim Harbaugh isn’t on the sidelines, and a game Ohio State desperately wants, the pressure that is normally at DEFCON 2 for nuclear fallout is at DEFCON 1 nuclear war this year.
A loss to Michigan most likely will be the result of a loss in physicality in the trenches and the inability to force Michigan to pass the ball with quarterback JJ McCarthy. Another loss will sharpen the criticisms he has taken to heart about his team’s lack of physicality and being too finesse.
Day will not and should not lose his job if Ohio State drops a third in a row to Michigan, but I can guarantee you there will be a major philosophical shift if they do.
