Ryan Day: Ohio State Football Facing ‘Hard Decisions’ Following Loss to Texas
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After seeing a 20-point lead evaporate, the Buckeyes are looking to bounce back against Kent State this week.
For Ryan Day, close isn’t good enough.
Day and Ohio State failed to hold on to a 20-point fourth-quarter lead at Texas this past Saturday, falling to the Longhorns in one of the key early-season matchups, 24-23.
The Buckeyes became the first Associated Press No. 1 ranked team in 22 years to lose after holding a lead of at least 20 points in the fourth. Ohio State had also won 115 consecutive games when up by at least 20, a mark that was the sixth-longest active streak in FBS.
Related: Rival Head Coach Advocates For Ohio State Following Buckeyes’ Loss
Now, Day and the Buckeyes face what the head coach called “hard decisions” during his press conference.
“It’s extremely frustrating, it’s maddening,” Day said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes). “And we’re excited to get back on the field and get going because the last couple of days haven’t been fun around here. We have to win the fourth quarter.
“We had an opportunity certainly to finish the game and knock them out there in the third. It didn’t happen. Then we lost momentum and couldn’t get it back.”
Fourth Quarters Have Been Rough For Ohio State As of Late
The final quarter has been a tough one for the Buckeyes over the last several games dating back to the 2025-26 season. Ohio State missed a late field goal vs. Indiana to claim the Big Ten championship.
After making the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, it happened again. This time, the defense couldn’t get off the field, resulting in Miami advancing.
“We have to do a better job of identifying how we’re going to win these games,” Day said. “We put a lot of work in. To see it happen like that is extremely disappointing.
“We can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over. We’ve got to figure out how to make that change and get it done.”
Ohio State heads home on Saturday to host Kent State before entering conference play. They have road games with ranked opponents Iowa, Indiana and USC on the schedule.
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