The highly anticipated game between the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 3 Oregon Ducks on Saturday night was anticipated to be a nice one.
After all was said and done, neither team was let down. Regretfully, Ohio State was unable to hold on and ultimately lost 32–31.
In the last seconds of the game, Jeremiah Smith and Will Howard made two egregious errors that put an end to the Buckeyes’ chances of winning.
Head coach Ryan Day discussed his team’s devastating defeat after the game. Although he is sure that his team can resolve the problems, he was quite honest.
We discuss how to “take care of the football.” One of the game’s key plays was to turn the ball over and give it to them in plus territory. We continued to battle. We persisted in our efforts. We didn’t finish it because we couldn’t exactly get the stops when we needed to. We can watch a play here, a play there, while we sit here. That is not going to happen. We will be the owners of it. We’re going to resolve it,” Day remarked.
Day talked candidly about the defense’s tendency to give up big play after big play. Oregon seemed to get plays whenever they were required.
The first step is coaching. Better practice drills, demands, and coaching are all necessary.
He also discussed how, throughout the game, his squad far too frequently defeated themselves. His comment evinced the sadness of the loss.
Some hurtful falsehoods begin there, and those are eventually things we are unable to accept. I believed those guys would keep fighting and swinging. It hurts, this one really does. We didn’t perform well in too many areas, but give Oregon credit—they played well.
It might take a lot to get back on track following a defeat of that magnitude. I hope it doesn’t leave Ohio State with any sort of hangover.
The Buckeyes’ next game is scheduled for October 26 at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Before that game, they will have time to recuperate, rest, and make adjustments.