Michigan's twenty-seven-yard field goal with forty-five seconds remaining made the three-point difference.
The loss will cause the Buckeyes to miss a rematch with Oregon in next week's Big Ten Championship, Penn State will play the Ducks instead but the Buckeyes will still have a CFP berth waiting for them.
I would suggest to Ryan Day that his team win that playoff for his sake.
Olentangy Offerings
1) I just cannot grasp why a team with the best group of wide receivers in the country didn't let their athletes go and make plays.
On the one drive that Ohio State tried to spread Michigan thin and move to a faster tempo, OSU scored their only touchdown late in the first half.
That success was ignored in the second half.
2) I know there have been concerns about the offensive line since various injuries have hit the team and I also know it is easier for a weakened line to run block than pass block but the strength of the Michigan defense is their stout defensive line and their weakness is in a secondary that was missing certain first-round pick Will Johnson.
Why didn't they challenge them downfield?
3) Chip Kelly was brought in as the man Ryan Day trusts most as Day's mentor.
Kelly may have cost his protege his job with a game plan that showed few results against an inferior team.
I'm still in shock over the bland game plan!
4) As the game moved on, one could almost see the fear in Ryan Day as once again, he coached not to lose rather than to win.
Just a timid display of coaching from a man who spent a year vowing that things would be different in this game.
5) Then there was the screw-up by Day on Michigan's game-winning drive that saw Day send extra players into the game, see that OSU was about to be called for twelve men on the field and called a time-out, which isn't allowed since teams cannot call two timeouts without a play.
That gave Michigan a first down, draining Ohio State's remaining timeouts and leaving them little time on their final drive.
6) The defense played beyond what could be expected, other than allowing Kalei Mullings to break tackles for a big gain on Michigan's final drive.
Other than that play, I can't find any fault with Jim Knowles or the defense, which allowed only one touchdown, a five-yard drive following a first-half Will Howard interception.
7) I really thought Jack Sawyer had saved the day with an interception that thwarted Michigan again near the goal line in the fourth quarter.
8) Will Howard talked a big game but played his worst game as a Buckeye, finishing 19 of 33 for 175 yards and two interceptions.
It wasn't for lack of effort but Howard was brought in to win that game and his play wasn't good.
9) Caleb Downs did though, finishing with eleven tackles and a red zone interception.
For my money, he's the best DB in the land.
10) Jayden Fielding missed field goals from 34 and 38 yards, six points lost in a game lost by three.
Special teams continue to be a problem under Ryan Day.
11) Should Ryan Day go?
Well, maybe but consider this- Do you lose Julian Sayin or Jeremiah Smith if you remove Ryan Day?
That might be what saves Ryan Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment