Ryan Day addresses if Ohio State is overthinking Michigan rivalry

After a fourth-straight loss to Michigan in The Game, Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are heading back to the drawing board.

Quite simply, the program needs to figure out how to beat the Wolverines. The last four seasons have taken a toll on fans in Columbus, and while they still have a shot at a national title in 2024, it feels like the sky is falling for Ohio State at the moment.

Throughout it all, Day has attempted to stay positive, trying to turn the page on an ugly loss, regardless of who the opponent was in Week 14. He touched on the idea that the Buckeyes are overthinking the rivalry with Michigan, and whether that’s the reason the last four games have gone the way they have.

“I think, you know, you can look at it a million different ways, which you can imagine we have too, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to put your players in a situation to be successful, and then we’ve got to execute. You know, we do,” Day proclaimed, via his midweek press conference. “We have to take care of the ball, but we also have to be aggressive. And you know, it comes down to both of those things. I mean, that’s really what it comes down to. We can’t sit there and crawl up into a shell, but at the same time, we can’t be reckless with the ball either. That’s what it comes down to.

“I think when you have success early on, it can build some positive momentum. When you don’t, then you know, things can get a little bit uptight. That’s kind of what happened. But execution fuels emotion. And again, it goes back to — the coach is going to put us in a situation to be successful, and then the guys have to go execute it and do it.”

Evidently, Ryan Day believes there’s an easy fix for Ohio State, and it might work against other programs moving forward. Still, Michigan is a demon they’re not going to be able to exercise until 2025, and that has to have the Buckeyes coach’s blood boiling.