Ryan Day's Pregame Decision Already Looks Foolish Tonight

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Dec 31, 2025 9:11 PM ET

Ohio State fans have already placed the blame on Ryan Day for the team's first-half performance against Miami.

Despite being heavily favored to advance to the semifinals, Ohio State was thoroughly outplayed by Miami in the first half. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 14-0 lead after Julian Sayin threw a pick-six on the third possession for the Buckeyes.

While there's plenty of blame to go around for Ohio State's rough start, Day is receiving most of the criticism because he took play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline prior to the start of the College Football Playoff.

Day made this decision after Hartline accepted South Florida's head-coaching job.

“We wanted to take [playcalling] off of Brian’s plate because he’s got so much going on with what he’s trying to do,” Day said. “Ultimately it will be my decision what calls go into the game. It’s such a strange calendar and the timing is brutal. But he’s handled it great, as you can imagine. It’s a lot on his plate. It’s a lot to manage. So we’re kind of taking it day-to-day right now, just in terms of as we move forward.”

Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) looks to throw in the first quarter against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images© Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.

Well, the early results for Ohio State's offense haven't been pretty. The Buckeyes were held scoreless at the end of the first half.

Sayin has been outstanding for Ohio State all season long, and yet, he finished the first half 11-of-20 for 157 yards with an interception.

Desmond Howard saw this coming.

While on "First Take" this Wednesday, ESPN analyst Desmond Howard said his biggest concern for Ohio State was the change in play-calling.

“My biggest concern was who was calling the plays. That was my biggest concern. Because I understood that their OC took the USF job, right, and so I’m like, ‘Who’s calling the plays in the Big Ten Championship Game?’ I heard it was Ryan Day,” Howard said, via On3. “And now this week Heather Dinich came out and said that Ryan Day is going to call the plays in the game against Miami. So I said, ‘Well, does this mean he didn’t call it in the Big Ten Championship Game, or did he make some tweaks to the system?’ I’m not sure what happened offensively. Don’t forget, they only scored 10 points against Indiana and they were shut out in the second half.”

Howard's take is aging like fine wine at the moment. We'll see if Ohio State can bounce back in the second half.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: