As Ryan Day watched one of his defensive stars, Jack Sawyer, grow increasingly angry over Michigan planting a team flag in the middle of the Ohio State field, Buckeyes fans all said the same thing about the head coach’s reaction.
His response, or lack thereof, came after Michigan defeated then-No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 in one of the biggest rivalries in college football.
The loss eliminated the Buckeyes from Big Ten title contention and from a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. The loss could be so bad that Ohio State will have to go on the road to start the 12-team tournament.
Michigan’s fourth straight victory over Ohio State in their bitter rivalry was unexpected, as the game took place in Columbus and the Wolverines entered the game with just six wins.
After planting the flag, a huge brawl took place between the teams, with police officers pepper-spraying some of those involved.
And with this new footage, some have started blaming Day for his team’s attitude.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day stands next to Jack Sawyer as he shouts about Michigan’s victory
Buckeyes fans have criticized the reaction, or lack thereof, to seeing Sawyer animated next to him
** EXPLICIT WARNING **
“Ryan Day just stood there looking at how he’s going to have to get fired if you don’t move to keep a player’s hands off the coach. The highest paid team lost again,” said one Buckeyes fan.
“Ryan Day just standing there and not doing anything pretty much sums up his tenure.”
“Look at Day, deer in the headlights. Win the game, buddy!’
‘Ryan hello, I love you, but……. You and (offensive coordinator) Chip (Kelly) can’t get the job done.”
A collection of social media posts about Ryan Day’s reaction after the loss to Michigan
Despite being one of the best teams in college football, Ohio State has not won a national title under Day, and its results have deteriorated little by little.
The Buckeyes haven’t appeared in a title game since 2020, won a bowl game since 2021 and finished No. 10 in the AP Poll last year, a low point for Day’s tenure.
Now the Buckeyes must pick up the pieces as they wait about three weeks for the start of the CFP.
Now Ohio State will watch undefeated Oregon, which it lost to by one point earlier this season, take on Penn State in the Big Ten Championship.
The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions last month in Penn State’s only loss of the season.
Day served as Ohio State’s acting head coach for three games in 2018 after Urban Meyer was placed on administrative leave.
The 45-year-old officially took over from the 2019 season.
Day has a stellar 66-10 record as Buckeyes head coach, but no national championships, with Ohio State winning its last title in 2014.