Scarlet Sunrise: Ryan Day reflects on 'mistake' in approach to last year's Michigan game

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Ryan Day reflects on ‘mistake’ in approach to last year’s Michigan game

Ohio State head men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann has started a podcast with Terence Dials, a former Buckeyes basketball player who is the program’s current director of professional development.

It’s called “More Than Coach Speak,” and it featured Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day on its inaugural episode, which came out this week.

At one point during the 35-minute episode, Day reflected on the Buckeyes’ second straight loss to Michigan, this one a 45-23 defeat in Columbus.

“I think back on this year, and I think back on our rivalry game,” Day said, via the “More Than Coach Speak” podcast. “You want the game so bad that the focus can just be on winning the game. But what does winning the game actually mean? Because you can’t just win the game. You have to win each play. You have to win each situation.”

Day continued: “I think the mistake that I probably made is just saying, ‘OK, we’re just going to win this game. Let’s get after them. Let’s get physical. Let’s just beat ’em up.’ When you’re playing in matchup games, when you’re playing against a team or a player that’s equal to you, you have to focus on winning every single possession, every single play. And how do you do that? Use great technique, great focus, and eventually you’re going to win the game.

“It’s like going out and golfing and just saying, ‘I’m going to go win the match.’ Well, you have to make each shot along the way.”

The narrative leading into last year’s game centered around toughness. A year removed from allowing 297 rushing yards to the Wolverines in a sobering 42-27 loss in Ann Arbor, Ohio State beat its drum all offseason and regular season to an identity rebrand that was designed to prevent being outphysicalled again.

Then Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy proceeded to jumpstart the Wolverines’ double-digit victory through the air, dialing up a trio of 45-plus-yard passing touchdowns in the first three quarters. By that point, Ohio State had given up only 80 rushing yards on the day. The focus had been to stop the run and be “tougher” than Michigan, and the Wolverines simply beat the Buckeyes at their own game, with the pass. The dagger, of course, was a fourth quarter in which head coach Jim Harbaugh’s team piled up 172 rushing yards, including a pair of 75-plus-yard Donovan Edwards touchdown runs.

Day believes he and his team adjusted after last year’s defeat to Michigan. So, when the Buckeyes backed into the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed, they adopted the present-minded philosophy he spoke of above.

Although Ohio State ultimately blew a 14-point, fourth quarter lead in the Peach Bowl, it came closer to upsetting eventual back-to-back national champion Georgia than any other team last season and scored 41 points on a Bulldogs defense that conceded 14.3 points per game in 2022.

“I think we did a better job in the Peach Bowl of, first off, just letting it all out and just playing aggressively and just looking to play the next play and win the next play,” Day said. “Not looking at the scoreboard and [not asking] ‘what if we win, what if we lose?’ And really focusing on winning each situation and each play.

“I think that’s something that I’ll certainly take from this past season that hopefully we can utilize going into ’23.”

What we know about Ohio State’s kickoff times, TV schedule

More Ohio State kickoff times were announced this week.

The Buckeyes will start the season on the road at 3:30 p.m. against Indiana. The Sept. 2 opener, which doubles as Ohio State’s Big Ten opener, will be broadcast on CBS. Ohio State then hosts Youngstown State at 12 p.m. on Big Ten Network the following week on Sept. 9. The week after that, on Sept. 16, the Buckeyes will face Western Kentucky at home — that game will be at 4 p.m. on FOX.

So here are the start times and designated TV channels we know so far for Ohio State’s 2023 slate:

Announced Ohio State kickoff times for 2023:

• Sept. 2 at Indiana: 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
• Sept. 9 vs. Youngstown St.: 12 p.m. (BTN)
• Sept. 16 vs. WKU: 4 p.m. (FOX)
• Sept. 23 at ND: 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
• Nov. 11 vs. Mich. St.: 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
• Nov. 25 at Michigan: 12 p.m. (FOX)

— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) May 31, 2023

Note: The Oct. 7 home game vs. Maryland will be played at either 12 p.m., 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. The broadcast network for that matchup is still TBA.

Projecting Buckeyes tight end depth chart

“Tight Ends Week” continues at Lettermen Row, where we are doing a deep dive on every Ohio State position group from now until Big Ten Media Days.

First-year tight ends coach Keenan Bailey isn’t focused on hammering out a depth chart right now. Although Cade Stover is a lock for TE1, the rungs below him on the Buckeyes tight end ladder are still up for grabs. Joe Royer and Gee Scott Jr. are competing for TE2, and don’t forget about true freshman Jelani Thurman, who has already shed his black stripe and turned heads with his 6-foot-6 frame.

Even though Bailey isn’t volunteering a pecking order for his position group, Lettermen Row is giving a tight end depth chart our best shot.

Check it out here.

RELATED

• Examining 2023 Ohio State tight end NIL valuations

• How Jelani Thurman can earn snaps, crack lineup early in Buckeyes career

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 92 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 176 days

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