Ryan Day addresses his controversial coaching decision

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ryan Day addresses his controversial coaching decision

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Sep 15, 2026 2:33 PM ET

Ohio State coach Ryan Day on Monday addressed his much-criticized clock management in the final moments of his team’s loss to Texas on Saturday.

Day admitted that he did regret not simply letting Texas score during the final two minutes of the Buckeyes’ 24-23 loss to the Longhorns, but primarily because his strategy of trying to hold off their offense had not worked.

“It didn’t work, so the answer is yes,” Day said. “If we win the game, then it would’ve been the right decision. In the moment you’ve got to make a hard decision and I decided to try and hold the line. Would love to have seen what it would’ve looked like if they would’ve scored.”

Ryan Day says he ultimately made the wrong decision by not letting Texas score before the Longhorns game winning TD

(via @OhioStAthletics) pic.twitter.com/uVPjb0KNN9
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) September 15, 2026

With Texas at the 1-yard line and 1:30 to go, Day opted not to simply let Texas score, thus giving Ohio State the ball back with more time to answer. Instead, Texas was able to run the clock down to 25 seconds before punching in the go-ahead touchdown, leaving the Buckeyes with no timeouts and virtually no time to mount a drive of their own. The decision drew immediate criticism from fans and experts alike.

Ultimately, Day does not even seem to regret the call, but simply dislikes that it did not work. That is not exactly encouraging for Ohio State fans.

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