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Ryan Day has no answers for Michigan yet again — 'we know what we’re getting ourselves into here'

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•12/01/24•

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Ohio State coach Ryan Day is 1-4 against Michigan. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch VIA USA TODAY Network)
(Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch VIA USA TODAY Network)

Michigan stunned Ryan Day and Ohio State, 13-10, in a game eerily similar to the 1996 victory in Columbus (13-9). The Wolverines got just enough offense and dominant defense and special teams to hand head coach Dat his fourth loss in five tries against U-M. 

RELATED: Michigan 13, OSU 10: Notes, quotes, and observations — toughness wins again and the narrative shifts

The reality seemed to set in for Day at the end of the game when he stood stunned on the field, trying to make sense of the loss while his team accosted Michigan players planting the flag at midfield for a second straight time on the road. He seemed just as shocked in the postgame press conference. 

“We struggled to run the ball in this game,” Day said after the U-M defense held his team to 77 yards on the ground. “We know we’ve talked about this many times. We have to run the ball, especially in this game. 

“It was a little windy out, and in order to win the game, you’ve got to be able to run it. We weren’t able to do that. We tried a couple different schemes, couldn’t quite get into a rhythm on that, and that ultimately — along with the turnovers and the missed field goals — was the difference in the game.”

Dominic Zvada made both of his kicks, while OSU was only 1-for-3. 

OSU fans booed Day and his team several times Saturday, including at game’s end. Before the game, Day talked about how prepared his team was. He was asked about it again after a fourth straight loss, and he offered that his banged-up offensive line against a stout Michigan front was a problem.

“I’m just fresh off the game right now, and obviously extremely disappointed and angry that we didn’t execute well enough,” Day continued. “So, I’m not there right now, just fresh off the game. But, as you know, this is not easy to accept. We obviously have to take the ownership. I’m the one ultimately that makes the final decisions on things, and I felt like we were in a really good place coming into this game. I felt like we were prepared to play well in this game.

“I think you could see maybe some of the stuff that happened in the offensive line, and shuffling things around ended up really coming to a head today. Some of those guys have to look at the film and figure it out, but we just couldn’t seem to get through to the second level on some runs. That led to some frustration. And then again, I thought guys were into it even all the way to the end.”

But they lost the toughness battle again, and they had no answers for the Michigan defense. Still, some in the Columbus media wondered if there was a “mental hurdle” that prevented Day’s teams from excelling against the Wolverines.

“I don’t know, but then I can just kind of go off of this game and what’s going on in this game right now,” Day said. “I think each game is a little bit different and unique to itself, like you said, but the results … the results, as hard as that is to say, we came up short here again today. That’s not easy to swallow, at all.

“Everybody wants to win this game in the worst way, and nobody wants to win it more than we do. It’s our No. 1 goal every year. When you don’t do that, there’s disappointment and frustration. So, I don’t blame anybody for being upset. I’m upset more than anybody. Those players are too, and the coaches, and everybody that goes at it. So, we know what we’re getting ourselves into here.”

Saturday, that was a fourth straight loss to a hated rival and all of the ramifications that come with it in Columbus.

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