Ryan Day has had trouble beating the Michigan Wolverines during his tenure as the Ohio State Buckeyes head coach. On a recent podcast appearance, he divulged what the losses meant for him and how they brought the team together in 2024.
Ryan Day Reflects on Michigan Losses, Describes It as a ‘Grieving Phase’
While a guest on “The Triple Option” podcast hosted by former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and Alabama Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram, current Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer opened up about how losses to the rival Michigan Wolverines affect him and his team.
New episode of The Triple Option w/ @OhioStateFB Head Coach Ryan Day is live!
– the moment he knew the Buckeyes were winning it all
– pain of losing to Michigan
– Ryan’s thoughts on the 12-team #CFBPlayoff
– what it was like taking over for @CoachUrbanMeyer🔗:… pic.twitter.com/BL3pPl5EHX
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) February 19, 2025
“You don’t just wake up the next day and move on,” Day said. “I mean, literally there’s like a mourning phase and grieving phase you have to go through. Just the way it is, man.”
Day described how, in the aftermath of the 2024 loss, he brought everyone together — players and coaches — and cleared the air on the narratives being tossed around. Rumors were rampant of a potential Day firing.
The main cause of that?
Four consecutive losses in “The Game” to the Wolverines. That came after a previously dominant stretch of eight straight Buckeye wins in the rivalry.
In 2024, the Buckeyes came into The Game ranked No. 2 in the country. Michigan entered with a 6-5 record after a massively disappointing national championship defense season. All of that could be forgotten if the Wolverines could pull off a massive upset victory in Ohio Stadium over the Buckeyes.
They did just that, upsetting Ohio State 13-10 while only passing for 62 yards. A flag-planting brawl ensued on the field following the game.
Day came under immediate fire.
Cameras caught him standing listlessly on the field, watching the brawl take place. He seemed either in shock or completely disinterested and mentally checked out. Many college football analysts saw that image and thought that would be his final game as head coach of the Buckeyes.
However, the Ohio State decision-makers didn’t decide to move on from the Day before the College Football Playoff, where the team was awarded a No. 8 seed and a home game.
That game came against the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers, who packed Ohio Stadium. The narrative already seemed written: the Volunteers upset the Buckeyes and send Day packing, looking for another job.
Except Day and the Buckeyes did something that will be remembered forever in college football history.
After two blowout victories over the Volunteers and Oregon Ducks, they defeated the Texas Longhorns by two touchdowns in the semifinals. Suddenly, they became a massive favorite in the national championship game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The Buckeyes won the game, claiming the program’s ninth national championship trophy.
‘Thank You, Coach Day’: Quinshon Judkins Honors Ryan Day in Instagram Post
Just over a month before the championship run, the Michigan loss was Ohio State’s story of the season. Day’s comments on the losses provide insight into just how hard defeats can be.
But despite the loss in 2024 and years prior, the Buckeyes came out of the season with something much sweeter, validating Day and the entire program.
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