COLUMBUS, Ohio — There’s not much time for Ohio State to dwell on what happened in Austin.
The Buckeyes return home this week looking to regroup after letting a 20-point fourth-quarter lead slip away against Texas, and Kent State is next on the schedule Saturday at Noon.
Head coach Ryan Day met with reporters Tuesday for almost 30 minutes to discuss the loss, what the Buckeyes learned from the game and how they are moving forward. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and linebacker Payton Pierce also spoke with the media about the loss to Texas and the team’s mindset heading into its next game. Here’s everything they had to say.
Ryan Day
+ On whether the coaching staff put the team in a position to leave no doubt, Day said they had momentum and lost it. They had an opportunity to finish the game and knock Texas out in the third quarter, but they didn’t do it. The game plan on defense was the same in the second half as it was in the first, but when they needed the defense to go win the game for them, they didn’t execute well enough. On the last drive, they didn’t get enough pressure to go win the game. Offensively, they were aggressive, running 10 times and throwing 12 passes in the second half, but they were 2-of-12 passing. Day said it was a combination of coaches not putting players in the best positions to succeed and players not executing. “It’s clear to say we had momentum, lost it, and couldn’t get it back. And that was a team effort.”
+ Day called the loss “frustrating” and “maddening,” and said the last few days haven’t been fun. The team is excited to get back out there and has the right mindset moving forward.
+ On going for it on fourth-and-2 in the first half and not going for it on fourth-and-4 in plus territory, Day said he talked to Arthur Smith before the game and they decided they would go for it on fourth-and-short in the red zone early in the first half. Not converting on that opportunity hurt.
+ On trusting the defense with the last drive and the overall defensive effort, Day said they looked at everything and there were some good things on defense, but it wasn’t enough. Day said they have some younger players who are going to see more playing time moving forward. He specifically mentioned a young player who made an impact and said Jay Timmons has earned trust. Other players still need to build that trust. On winning a game with the defense, Day said this is a different defense than last year and they have a reference point now, but they have to put the right pieces together. Day said he is willing to take more risks on defense. “We have to do a good job of here … making sure we have enough answers to go win the game in the fourth quarter.”
+ On Julian Sayin’s play against Texas, Day said there were times when Sayin found the rhythm of the game, but there were also times when he was off, and it wasn’t just Sayin. Overall, there wasn’t enough rhythm in the pass game. Some of Sayin’s throws coming out a little early were a result of Texas’ pressure, where Ohio State either got beat or didn’t identify the defense correctly, but Day added that was only one factor in the pass-game miscues.
+ The offense has to take some pressure off of Jeremiah Smith.
+ On Zion Grady and Phillip Daniels, Day said he doesn’t see them being long-term injuries and they will see how the week goes.
+ “We had plenty of personnel to go win this game, we just didn’t finish it off. But moving forward, we have to make sure to put the players in the best positions across the board to win games.”
+ On the first drive of the second half and whether they were letting up offensively and relying on the defense to squeeze the life out of teams rather than put them away, Day said he disagreed with the idea that they weren’t pushing forward or trying to score a touchdown. He said they ran five times and passed once on that drive, including a double move to Jeremiah Smith that resulted in a big gain. On third down, they didn’t convert, and with a 20-3 lead, Day felt it was the right decision at the time to punt, pin Texas and let the defense get a stop. The defense was playing excellent, and Ohio State got the ball back and kicked a field goal to make it 23-3.
+ There was a lot of good coming out of the game and there’s a lot of football ahead of them. They looked at the game extensively and, as much as this hurts and is miserable, they are learning from it and working through it. The plan is to be a better, stronger team as they head into conference play.
+ When Day says they want to win the fourth quarter and play well in the fourth quarter, that doesn’t just mean winning at the end of the game. It also means finishing the game when they’re ahead and “emptying out the stadium.”
+ On the overall morale of the team, Day said this is a new experience for 51 players — experiencing a loss at Ohio State, especially in the way this one happened. They have to focus on what matters. They don’t “BCD” — “blame, complain, defend.” Day said that’s what losers do. He had a great meeting with the captains.
+ Day still thinks they can get more out of the punt game. “Either we have to execute that better or we have to go for it, that’s the bottom line.” Day believes Joe McGuire can do it, but they have to put that on the field or make different decisions.
+ On the red-zone offense, Day said Arthur Smith has taken ownership and is very critical of himself. Negative plays in the red zone and sacks cause a lot of trouble, especially against a good defense. “It’s got to be lesson learned.”
+ On using this game as a gauge for the team overall, Day said this is a matchup opponent and it shows which players they can rely on and which players they may need to develop depth with. It also gives them information about what they are going to need to win games moving forward. On offense and defense, they have talent and have identified younger players who can help, and they have to do a better job as a group of winning in the fourth quarter. “We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again.” If there are similarities to previous losses, Day said he is introspective and learning from them, but this is a different team, so they have to identify what this team needs. “We have a chance to be a really good team.”
+ The team has to do a great job of turning this thing around and building momentum. “We have everything we need here, we just need to put it all together to go make a championship run.”
+ A challenge for this team is figuring out who is going to step up and make a play when they need it. They can point to a number of plays where, if they make that play, the game would have been over. This is where they get challenged, and leaders and players need to make a decision and say this isn’t going to happen again. As coaches, they have to be very critical of their decisions and put the players in those spots.
+ Day said they were worn down and that did play a role in the loss, but that isn’t an excuse. Ohio State played 41 plays in three series.
+ Riley Pettijohn will continue to play more. Day said he is a unique player who has the ability to slip blocks and make plays.
+ On whether he should have let Texas score to get the ball back at the end of the game, Day said relying on the defense to get a stop didn’t work. “Well, it didn’t work. So, the answer is yes.” Day said he made the decision to try to hold the line in the moment and will have to think about it when a similar situation happens again.
Julian Sayin
+ On re-watching the tape, Sayin said it was really disappointing. They didn’t execute in the second half, and that starts with him. There were a few situations where he could have gone to someone other than Jeremiah Smith, and there were also times when he did go elsewhere and missed the throw. There are a lot of throws he wants back.
+ On getting the tight ends involved and whether that was a plan, Sayin said they did a great job blocking and catching and that was just how the game played out.
+ As a leader, he is going to make sure the team uses this as fuel. Sayin loves this team and has a lot of confidence in them being able to learn from the loss.
+ On looking back at losing three of the last four games, Sayin said it was all a lack of execution, and that starts with him.
+ They mixed up tempo in the game, which is a nice changeup to have to keep the defense on its toes, but there were times he didn’t get them out of the huddle fast enough.
+ On the chemistry with the newer receivers, Sayin said they have good chemistry, but they will continue to grow and develop that.
Payton Pierce
+ On evaluating the film in the second half, Pierce said they didn’t execute, couldn’t get off the field and couldn’t pull through. When they had calls to get more pressure on Arch Manning, they didn’t execute. “We gotta make those stops on fourth down.”
+ On the decision to rely on the defense to end the game, Pierce said he didn’t even realize there was another scenario where the defense would let Texas score to get the ball back. “That’s not the way this defense is wired. We had to make four stops, and that was the plan.”
+ Every day they are learning more and getting better, so it was good to go against an opponent like that and see where everyone is at.
+ They played 40 plays in the last couple of drives, but that’s what they sign up for. It wasn’t easy and it may have played a role, but at the end of the day they have to go make stops.
+ The team is all disappointed, and he is disappointed in how he played, so he is excited to get to Tuesday’s practice, learn from the mistakes and move forward. He will make sure everybody sticks together to get better. They played one of the best teams in the country and lost by one point at the end in a tough environment, so they can learn from this and take the next step. It’s a long season, so they have to keep attacking.
+ Pierce said he didn’t play his best game across the board, but the sun came up and he gets to practice today and keep getting better.
