Ryan Day takes accountability for Michigan loss, reflects on playoff run

When Ryan Day and Ohio State fell to Michigan in November, college football fans and pundits alike believed the Buckeyes were cooked, with their dreams of winning a national title up in flames.

It was a tremendous embarrassment for Day and company, but instead of sulking and hanging their heads ahead of their chance at redemption in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State made it their mission to change the narrative. Win a win over Notre Dame in the National Championship Game, they’ve become immortal, and accomplished exactly what they set out to achieve.

It’s not lost on Day how far his team came over the past six weeks and change, and he reflected on the matter during his postgame press conference, taking the responsibility for Ohio State’s loss to their hated rival, while giving all the credit for the turnaround to his players, as a coach should.

“I wouldn’t say it was a reset. It wasn’t like, at the end of the year, we were broken. It wasn’t that way. We had an awful day. I don’t know how else to describe it. We had an awful day. I just said, ‘We could never do that again.’ I think it’s the job of the head coach to take the responsibility when something goes bad like that,” Day said, regarding Ohio State’s loss to Michigan in November. “But then, on days like this, make sure that everyone understands that it’s the warriors and guys on the field that deserve all the credit. Not the coach. The coach gets too much attention sometimes. I want to make sure that these guys are the ones that are getting the attention.

“But in terms of the Playoff, it’s very, very different. It’s extremely different than what we’ve gone through in the past. This is much more like the NFL. Guys are not in class. But our team has come together so well over the last month and a half. There really isn’t any school. All we do is spend time together. It’s like being around a family. This is the tightest group of guys that I’ve ever been around before, and to think that we’re not going to be together again is not something that I’m looking forward too. You know, I’m going to miss these guys. They’re great people.”

Moving forward, that attitude will continue taking Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes to new heights. The future is bright in Columbus, as long as their fearless leader remains in charge.