Losing is never fun, but it can be constructive for a team to face adversity. With the Ohio State Buckeyes licking its wounds from a 32-31 loss against Oregon, this Week 8 bye is the perfect chance to reflect on what hasn't worked as well as the team expected. After all, this was supposed to be the most talented roster in the country entering the year.
The Buckeyes, ranked fourth in the country, will have the chance to redeem itself. Showdowns with Nebraska, Penn State, and Indiana will come before Michigan. Our latest College Football Playoff predictions have a favorable matchup if the Buckeyes finish in the fifth seed.
Head coach Ryan Day said three things need to happen for the Buckeyes to achieve that goal. Unfortunately for the program's fans, two of the identified areas have been a problem for years. Day, on his weekly radio show, said the following:
Day reiterated that winning the turnover margin, rushing production battle, and allowing fewer explosive plays are important. If any one of those happened against Oregon, the Buckeyes would likely win. All three were big losses against the Ducks and have been issues in each of their recent big-game failures.
While Day cited winning "the turnover battle" as "the No. 1 thing", turnovers are more of the byproduct of accidents or player miscues and not bigger failures. For example, Quinshon Judkins' fumble was more of a terrific play by Derrick Harmon than anything Ohio State could control.
It doesn't lessen the impact of the lost possession, and sloppy play can't always be brushed aside, but it's not as if the Buckeyes are hemorrhaging turnovers in every big game. The same can't be said for the run game struggles and defensive meltdowns.
The Buckeyes aren't asking to punish their foes for 400 rushing yards and limiting opposing offenses to 100 yards and three points. But defensive stops, sacks, and interceptions are completely lacking in most of their marquee matchups, and the Buckeyes won't win if the offense has to be perfect to outpace a terrible defense.
Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer chipped in his opinion on the importance of trench play, saying these big games are won and lost by physical play from the big boys.
Far too often under Day, the Buckeyes either forget to continue running the ball or can't. Even after bringing in Chip Kelly, a renowned run-play architect and caller, the Buckeyes made the same mistake at Oregon. Of their 32 second-half plays, only seven were designed runs.
In turn, the Buckeyes' defense was on the field for 35 plays and 14 minutes and 19 seconds. They allowed three straight scoring drives to close out the game after forcing a punt and a turnover on downs. The glimpse of hope the defense gave to start the second half was squandered when Will Howard fumbled a snap, forcing the Buckeyes to punt.
Collectively, the Buckeyes don't play clean football with a solidified identity. Day is essentially eluding to this in his introspective moments, but not as eloquently and with the awareness of his own shortcomings. It's nice he continues to say his ground game isn't getting enough action, and his defense continually comes up short, but the changes implemented haven't addressed them.
We'll see if Day takes his own words seriously enough the next time they hit the field against Nebraska.
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