Ryan Day hints at day of reckoning, vows to make 'hard decisions' after Ohio State's late-game Texas breakdown
The Buckeyes squandered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead Saturday before the Longhorns rallied for an improbable 24-23 victory."We had an opportunity certainly to finish the game and knock them out there in the third quarter," Day told reporters on Tuesday."It didn't happen.
Then we lost momentum and couldn't get it back."HAS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALREADY CHANGED AFTER A STUNNING FIRST WEEK?Ohio State coach Ryan Day watches during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Sept.12, 2026.
(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)Ohio State entered Saturday with a 115-game winning streak when leading by 20 points, the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS.The victory moved Texas to No.
1 in the latest AP Top 25, while Ohio State dropped to No.6."It's extremely frustrating, it's maddening," Day added.
"And we're excited to get back on the field and get going because the last couple of days haven't been fun around here."THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!"We have to win the fourth quarter."Throughout the summer, Day returned to a theme he believed would define Ohio State’s season: Against a daunting schedule, the Buckeyes would have to find a way to win the fourth quarter.
That mantra took shape after Ohio State failed to close out the final two games of the 2025 season, suffering late-game losses to Indiana and Miami.Ohio State coach Ryan Day watches his players leave the field after a college football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Sept.12, 2026.
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)Those fourth-quarter miscues notably surfaced in last season's Big Ten championship game, when a missed field-goal attempt allowed Indiana to clinch the title.In the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, Miami responded with a 10-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to seal...