ESPN: Coach Ryan faces another as QB on suspension.

The Michigan Issue for Ohio State Is Now a Crisis

Coach Ryan Day of the Buckeyes is presently 1-3 when facing the Wolverines.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The Ohio State Buckeyes filed silently out of the Michigan Stadium tunnel and grabbed to-go boxes of Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken off of a table, food for a glum ride home. Outside, friends and family were on the other side of a row of barriers across from the idling buses. Echoes of Michigan’s celebration could be heard, but this was a scarlet-and-gray island of solemnity.

Kyle McCord was one of the last out, eye black still streaked across his cheeks and right ankle still taped. Hood up, earphones wrapped around his temples, his countenance was misery personified.

The Ohio State quarterback is a world-class stoic, but when he saw his family waiting, a sad sigh escaped him. McCord leaned down to hug his mom, Stacy, for a long time. His shoulders heaved. He hugged a few other family members, one with tears streaming down her face. There was nothing much to say, no words to fix the broken feeling that came with the final score: Michigan 30, Ohio State 24.

So much rides on this game every year and so much is invested into it. The price of defeat is steep. McCord, who was 11-0 as the starter after inheriting one of the most prestigious positions in college football, threw two interceptions against the Wolverines—the first set up Michigan’s initial touchdown and the second (thrown while taking a hit) ended the game.

McCord remains oh-for-Michigan as a collegian, now 0-3. So does all-world wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. And defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. And running back TreVeyon Henderson. And wideout Emeka Egbuka. They were the nucleus of a 2021 Ohio State signing class that ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only Alabama, a group that was expected to take swings at national championships—and to continue the program’s dominance of its bitter rival.

It hasn’t happened. And many of those star players will leave school in the spring for the NFL with that glaring, galling hole on their resumes. No gold pants for you.

The coach who signed them, Ryan Day, now finds himself 1-3 against Michigan. He’s been blown out twice as a favorite and, now, he’s been beaten by an interim coach. Not only that, the interim coach (offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore) beat Day after losing his best defensive player (cornerback Will Johnson) and his best offensive lineman (guard Zak Zinter) during the game.

Coming on the heels of Urban Meyer’s 7-0 record against the Wolverines, this qualifies as a crisis. Day is 56-7 overall as Ohio State’s coach. He is 38-0 against Big Ten teams not named Michigan. He is a wildly successful coach except for one day a year, and it just so happens to be the day that matters most to Buckeye Nation.

“We know what this game means to so many people, so to come up short is certainly crushing,” Day said after the game. “The locker room is devastated.”

Day looked so wrecked that when I asked him if he thought he still had a playoff team, after losing an outstanding game on the road to a fellow unbeaten, he legitimately sounded too beaten down to even contemplate it.

“I haven’t even thought that far,” he said. “Everything was so focused on this game. I’d have to kind of process that. We have a very good team, we came up short today, it was devastating, but I believe in our players. I’d have to see what else is out there … but I do believe we can play with any team in the country.”

Tags: Michigan Wolverine Ohio State Buckeye football

The Michigan Issue for Ohio State Is Now a Crisis

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