Quick hitters from Ryan Day Cotton Bowl postgame press conference

ARLINGTON, Texas — No. 7 Ohio State lost to No. 9 Missouri, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl Friday night in AT&T Stadium.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke to the media postgame. Lettermen Row has updates.

What Day said after the Ohio State loss…

+ Day was asked about the quarterback situation right now. He said he feels like Lincoln Kienholz was put in a tough position and that the Buckeyes didn’t help him up front. Day said Ohio State wasn’t running the ball well enough, and it’s hard to make an evaluation when you’re not getting offensive balance.

+ Day was asked about the offensive line play. Day said Ohio State didn’t do enough in the run game from a blocking standpoint. The Buckeyes’ defense played well enough to win, but Ohio State couldn’t put it together on offense.

+ Day was asked about having to put Kienholz in near their own goal line early in the second quarter. Day said Kienholz really hadn’t had many reps. It was an uphill battle for the Buckeyes’ offense as a whole at that juncture. Day said he gives Kienholz credit for managing a tough ask.

+ Day said his team played really hard in the Cotton Bowl, but they “didn’t help the young kid at all,” and that’s why Ohio State lost.

+ Day was asked where the Buckeyes need to go from here. This game was very different from the Michigan game, Day pointed out. He said the first thing he mentioned was that the guys who are deciding whether they’re coming back or not have to rally together, and the program has to move forward.

+ Day was asked about the status of quarterback Devin Brown. Day said Brown had a high ankle sprain and wasn’t able to return.

+ Day was asked if this affects the quarterback situation and the transfer portal. He said that everything will be looked at.

+ Day said he felt like Brown was going to have nerves early on, but he felt like Brown was going to work through those. Day mentioned that this is Brown’s first career start, and then the Buckeyes lost him — Ohio State had a lot game planned for him.

+ Kienholz said that Missouri was throwing zero pressures at him. He said the key for him in those situations was having to slow things down and trust his eyes but it was difficult at first.

+ Day said that, bottom line, Ohio State didn’t reach its goals this year, and that’s not just the quarterback position.

+ Defensive end Jack Sawyer said he’s not even thinking about his decision for next year right now. He’s just frustrated about the game right now — he wanted to send the seniors off well. And then he shouted out Kienholz for how he stepped in.

+ Day said Brown was fighting to get back in, but it wasn’t fair to keep him in the game because he couldn’t move very well.

+ Day was asked why he made the switch on the offensive line. He said Carson Hinzman was having a tough couple of weeks of practice, and they felt like it was time to make the switch and that Matthew Jones gave them the best chance at center.

+ Day said that veteran quarterback Tristan Gebbia was available, but they felt like Lincoln Kienholz gave them more with the zone-read stuff that was already part of the game plan with Brown.

+ Day was asked about his offensive staff and what it looks like to evaluate it and potentially make changes. He reiterated that everything’s going to be looked at and that if a change helps Ohio State, they will make it.

+ Kienholz said playing in the Cotton Bowl was fun and a good experience, and he noted that it helps build his platform for the next four or five years.

+ Sawyer emphasized that no one wants to end their Ohio State careers like this, and the way the 2023 season ended will likely impact the decisions of the players who have to make a choice about whether or not to return for 2024.