Ryan Day searching for answers after Buckeyes’ loss to Hoosiers

INDIANAPOLIS — After coming up short in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes are looking to regroup as they approach the Playoffs, and their head coach wants improvement.

Indiana pulled off the upset 13-10, snapped the nation’s longest win streak, and held Ohio State to its lowest offensive output against Big Ten opponents this season. Getting shutout in the second half, and generating a season-low, in points, isn’t sitting well with Coach Ryan Day. Now he intend on heading back to the drawing board to correct all of the mistakes from Saturday night, and prepare his team for the Playoffs.

“We’ve got to get back and figure out why that happened, what the issues were, and get it fixed, because the season is not over,” Day said. “We’ve got a lot of football ahead of us, and hopefully we can use this as a way to get better as we head into the Playoffs.”

Indiana exposed several areas where Ohio State (12-1) needs to improve before the start of the Playoffs too. After all, quarterback Julian Saying threw an interception, and was sacked a jaw-dropping, five times. The Buckeyes struggled in the redzone, failed to establish the ground game, and had stalled drives. which Day felt wasn’t a recipe for success. He even had to make adjustments on the fly, when his players failed to match Indiana’s physicality.

Sayin absorbed some big hits, and in return the Buckeyes aerial attack was limited. All American wideout Jeremiah Smith was able to get his touches, and finished with a game-high, eight catches for 144 yards. However, Indiana’s defense didn’t let Smith go wild, and Saying was under tremendous pressure.

Running back Bo Jackson produced 83 yards on the ground, but wasn’t effective enough, and Indiana’s defense loaded the box. Day found himself very frustrated with the lack of execution by the offense on third and fourth down. Regardless, Day thought Indiana played lights out on defense, and showed Sayin several looks out in coverage, which impacted his psyche.

“They obviously brought different pressures and twists, but that was something that they had done all season, and they’re very good at it,” he said. “We didn’t handle it very well at all, and there were times we did, but we weren’t consistent enough, and have to be more efficient across the board.”

Indiana led Ohio State in several categories that impacted the game, which included total offense, yards per play, third down efficiency, yards on the ground and time of possession. The game was physical, and the trenches made the difference. Sayin completed 15 of his 23 passes for 222 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He obviously needed more help from his supporting cast, but Day thought Sayin handled adversity well for the most part.

Ohio State’s defense played well enough to win, and started to show some fatigue down the stretch. Matt Patricia’s boys couldn’t force enough stops, or turnovers, and that’s a head-scratcher, considering the unit’s tenacity all season long. Linebacker Sonny Styles was all over the field, and tallied a game-high, 12 tackles. Safety Caleb Downs added eight stops. Defensive lineman Caden Curry was extremely active, and finished with seven tackles, including three for loss and two sacks.

Even special teams didn’t go as planned for the Buckeyes. Kicker Jayden Fielding nailed a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter, but later missed his second one from a shorter distance in the fourth quarter. Day felt his team couldn’t get out of their own way when it mattered the most.

“At the end of the day, that’s our job, to come out here and execute and win games,” the 46-year old said. “So we’re not going to make any excuses about any of this, because we wanted to win this game, and the guys had a good week of practice.”

Some fans believe the offensive struggles had to do with Offensive Coordinator Brian Hartline accepting the South Florida job. There’s no denying Ohio State needs to have better play-calling in the Playoffs. The Buckeyes won’t drop out of the top-four because of the loss to the Hoosiers, which means they’ll be able to sit out the first round, and should have more than enough time to iron out all of the wrinkles.

Suffering a humbling loss like Ohio State did Saturday night can make a light bulb turn on for the players and coaching staff. It worked for the Buckeyes last year after coming up short at home against the team from up north. Day should definitely use losing as a fuel for his players. It’s just unfortunate that Ohio State hasn’t won a Big Ten Championship since 2020, and will have to wait until next year to try again. Day is confident his team can learn a lot from this loss, and is eager to show the College Football world that the Buckeyes will rebound.

“We’re all disappointed in the locker room that we didn’t finish out this regular season the way we wanted to.”