During the Ohio State Buckeyes’ 30-24 loss to the Michigan Wolverines last month, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made a controversial decision to settle for a long 52-yard field goal before the half instead of attempting a fourth-down conversion to try to set up a shorter field goal or go for a touchdown. And it sounds like Ryan Day regrets that decision a bit.
During a press conference this week, Ryan Day reflected on the conservative decision, making it clear that he second-guessed the decision.
“I felt like at the time, it was a good decision. I think if we make the field goal, it’s a better decision. But when you don’t, you come up short, certainly you second-guess all of those things,” Day said according to On3. “So, you know, I think our guys were prepared. I think we had a good vibe going in that week. I think our guys were locked in. They knew how important the game was, certainly. You live it all year round. But when you don’t get it done, you’ve got to do a better job. I think that’s probably a long way of saying ultimately we didn’t get it done.”
Day admitted that Ohio State “probably need to get a couple of more first downs” before trying the field goal.
“We had the wind, and he was kicking pretty good. He had plenty of leg. But yea, we missed it. So ultimately, we probably needed to get a couple of more first downs and add the field goal there,” Day said.
“With 30 seconds left, it wasn’t like we had a bunch of time to go score a touchdown there. Fourth-and-2, maybe you add to the field goal. Maybe there’s enough time to throw in the end zone. But at that time, coming out of the first half, I felt like if we can get three points here, that would be a heck of a thing.”
The loss to Michigan marked Ohio State’s third consecutive loss in the rivalry after dominating the past two decades.
[On3]
