Ryan Day on Ohio State football's pace of play: 'It comes down to efficiency'

Ohio State operated with one of the slowest tempos in the nation when it won a national championship in 2024.

It hardly changed that approach during its repeat bid.

The Buckeyes were even slower last fall as their average of 29 seconds per play lengthened to 31 seconds, according to TeamRankings.com. Out of the 136 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, only Army used more of the game clock between snaps.

But as coach Ryan Day assessed their season, he didn’t see the pace of play as a leading factor in their early exit from the College Football Playoff.

“It comes down to efficiency,” Day said. “If playing faster gives us more efficiency, that’s fine, but ultimately it comes down to how we execute.”

Their execution in critical situations hampered them in the postseason in December. When the Buckeyes made their first trip to the red zone in their quarterfinal loss to Miami, quarterback Julian Sayin threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Two other red-zone trips in the second half of the Big Ten championship game against Indiana resulted in no points, following two failed fourth downs. Sayin finished short of the line to gain on a sneak, and a 27-yard field goal attempt by Jayden Fielding hooked left, contributing to the defeat that spoiled their 12-0 regular season.

The Buckeyes were more likely to pick up the pace on offense in the immediate aftermath of Day’s arrival at Ohio State.

In Day’s first full season leading the program in 2019, they averaged 24 seconds per play, a pace that ranked 43^rd in the FBS.

But the sport’s tempo craze has faded somewhat in recent years, especially following the NCAA’s adoption of rules in 2023 that allowed the game clock to continue running after first downs until the final two minutes of each half, reducing the number of plays per game.

The Buckeyes have also taken into account the expansion of the playoff. The 12-team bracket added as many as three to four games for teams eying the ultimate prize.

When the Buckeyes won it all two years ago, they ended up playing a school record 16 games, prompting them to consider limiting the number of snaps to help preserve the health of their roster, even if it came at the cost of maximizing their potential scoring margin.  

Chip Kelly, who was then the offensive coordinator for their title run, equated fast tempo to a side dish rather than a dinner’s main course, a philosophy that hasn’t seemed lost on his protege.  

“You don’t really see anyone playing fast in the NFL,” Day said. “Some people use it as a tempo changer, and some teams in college, that’s what they do, they play really, really fast, and they count on that to wear teams down. That’s their philosophy. To me, the number one thing is efficiency. That’s what it comes down to.”

Day didn’t rule out exploring a faster pace for the Buckeyes in 2026, especially if they build more depth on the roster over the offseason.

He mentioned during a March 31 press conference that they will probably have more depth than previous teams.

“Whether we have more depth at positions, we can probably afford to play more snaps throughout the season,” Day said, “then you can take a look at it if it gives us an edge. It’s something to at least consider.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State football coach Ryan Day assesses offense tempo