Mailbox: Do Ohio State football, Ryan Day need to 'chill' when it comes to Michigan? (2025)

Brian WhiteColumbus Dispatch

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me atbwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio State football

To the editor: For full disclosure, I am a supporter of coach Day. I hope that he stays at OSU for as long as he wishes because he is a very good coach. Nevertheless, in paraphrasing an adage in athletics, it reminds us that if a team beats you once, do not let that loss beat you twice. As such, it encourages losing coaches to take lessons from the loss, get better and move on. This is not what has been happening at Ohio State for the past four years. Coach Day’s obsession with the Michigan game is so over the top (and for so long) that it creates excruciating unsustainable pressure for everyone, including coaches, players and fans. When the game finally gets here, everyone is overly anxious. The coaches get super conservative, players play tight and fans get angry, and this leads to another deflating loss.

An example of this obsession is his reference to (The Game) as a war. Equating an athletic contest to the tragedy where brave men and women lost their lives in service to our country is both absurd and insulting. I am certain he does not mean it that way, but while “The Game” is important, it is not war and he should know better. We probably have the best talent in the nation, and as the big game approaches if I were coach Day I would simply reinforce that with the talent that we have and with how hard we have prepared, if we go out there and give our best effort, we will take the results.I would wager that out of the last four games we would have won at least three of them. We just need to chill a little bit, play loose and let our talent take over.It starts with the coach.

Al Bianco, Etna

To Al: Any coach who compares football to war should be immediately required to sit down with veterans and hear their stories of actual life-and-death carnage. A reality check might be good for those stressed-out coaches.

To Brian: Michael Arace suggested that Buckeye fans suffer from a psychosis, a delusion about having the Buckeyes be perfect every season, winning championships, et al.I was born in Columbus, following the likes of Hop Cassady and Jim Herbstreit in The Dispatch, met my wife at OSU in '67, married her in '68.We won the national championship that year with a bunch of sophs.

We thought we were going to win again until the loss at the Big House in '69. Since 1968, 56 years, we've won two more.There has been so much havoc.The Rose Bowl losses in the '70s, all of the Citrus Bowl losses, Sparty in '98, the missed field goal vs Georgia, a receiver turning the wrong way against Clemson. These are heartbreakers when so much of your identity is with the university and the football team. My license plate in Florida for 30 years was 4OHIOST.

The overwhelming majority of us are not delusional.We are just frustrated after decades of choking on the "big one." Year after year of top recruiting classes has produced not a whole lot on the national scene.Most loyal fans support coaches Day and Cooper despite their losing records in important games. We just want to win more than twice in 56 years. Is that delusional? I feel we are cursed.

Michael Holliday, Poulsbo, Wash.

To the editor: Thank goodness we have coach Day. I have never witnessed another individual who can bounce back from bitter disappointment as well as coach Day. He always comes back. He’s an example I use for my kids and grandkids:

In any football game where you lose the turnover battle and your kicker and your quarterback have their worst performances of the year, you are most likely going to lose. He has had exceptionally bad luck in every game we have lost. The semifinal game against Clemson with all the extremely questionable calls. The Alabama loss in the finals where Justin Fields was a shell of himself because of the Clemson cheap shot and losing our star running back the first play of the game. That last drive against Georgia, where we did not have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Cade Stover. Not to mention Smith-Njigba being out. The Oregon game, where if any of the calls on the last three plays would’ve gone our way we would have had an excellent chance for a field goal and a win. I’m not even going to mention the last three years against the team up north. If you’ve ever played football, you know it’s almost impossible to win a football game where the other team knows exactly what you’re running every play.

Most knowledgeable fans still adore coach Day. He runs a clean program, a program that we can be proud of. He is a winner. The majority of the negative comments are on social media. People who don’t know football trying to gain hits. I am more than a little tired of the OSU fan base characterized as anti-Day. I can imagine the other programs licking their chops to get coach Day. Can you imagine him going to the school up north? Alan Ward, Circleville

To Brian: Kirk Herbstreit must have had a few Baileys in his coffee prior to suggesting the Buckeyes would have been better off playing on the road instead of at the Shoe. Regardless of whether the crowd gets a little salty or not, what a stupid take. He's been a BINO (Buckeye In Name Only) for some time, and I'd guess a lot of real Buckeye fans are over seeing him contort himself to appear unbiased. Other than Desmond Howard, I can't think of anyone I like seeing less on GameDay. As much as he talks as a commentator, he must be getting paid by the word with bonus escalators for having diarrhea of the mouth.

Tony Federer, Powell

To the editor: One wonders how many of the letter writers actually watched the game.To pick one, reader Daniel Della Flora blames Ryan Day for "allowing the failed run-heavy strategy to continue late in the fourth quarter."Huh?Ohio State's offense in the fourth quarter: 0-5 passing, two rushes for 9 yards.One of the runs was a scramble by Howard on third-and-5.There was exactly one called running play in the fourth quarter.There has not been nearly enough blame on the players for a complete lack of execution.Two missed field goals, two interceptions, the missed tackle that would have forced a punt, Tate’s drop of a wide-open first-down catch at about 7 minutes to go in the fourth that ultimately led to a punt after Howard’s third-down scramble.Why did TreVeyon Henderson let the second-half kickoff fall to the ground at the 6-yard-line?If OSU executed the exact same drive starting at the 25, you get a 38-yard field goal attempt instead of a punt.Any of these seemingly minor plays could have changed the course of the game.Yet it is all the fault of Kelly and Day’s "run-heavy" strategy.Which, by the way, consisted of the fewest rushing attempts and second most pass attempts of any game this season.

Carl Coles

Mailbox: Do Ohio State football, Ryan Day need to 'chill' when it comes to Michigan? (1)

Mailbox: Do Ohio State football, Ryan Day need to 'chill' when it comes to Michigan? (2)

Ohio State's O-line vs. Tennessee's D-line in the CFP

Blake Toppmeyer joins Before The Snap to break down a key matchup in the Ohio State-Tennessee College Football Playoff game.

To the editor: Michigan planting their flag on Ohio State's field is still a matter of discussion among my friends, and the consensus is that it was wrong, but . . . I coached youth soccer for years and helped coach a Special Olympics adult basketball team. After every game, the players shook hands. The basketball players would sometimes lose control of their emotions during games, and we would sit them on the bench, but the coaches would always make sure at the end of the game, everyone shook hands.

Violence seems to be becoming more common in sports. We can blame society, but the coaches set behavioral standards for their teams. Coach Day disappoints me. Not because the team didn’t win, but because he, as far as I know, never said; “Michigan’s behavior was wrong, but we at Ohio State hold ourselves to a higher standard. The violence by our players was unacceptable.”

It seems we have degraded the true nature of competitive rivalry. Rivalry games should not be about hating the other team as so many seem to express. We should love our rivals. They are the individuals or teams that make us elevate our level of play to another level. When Ohio State plays Michigan they should be doing it with joy, knowing that this is an opportunity to approach greatness.

I would like Ohio State to stop crossing out M’s. It was cute but has become shallow and demeaning. The disturbing level of distaste for all things Michigan says more about Ohio State fans than it does about Michigan supporters. Perhap, if coach Day lowered the level of hatred expressed by some of his players and lifted up the joy of competing against the best, his team would play better on the field.

Grace in victory, respect in defeat. This is the standard, the flag I hope Ohio State strives to plant in college sports.

Fred Mcleod, Pataskala

To the editor: Michigan has defined “The Game” as who has the toughest team on the field, and that means runs right at the heart of the defense. Day has bought into this mental trap.That is why OSU ran into the heart of Michigan’s rush defense so often, to prove that OSU has the toughest team. In fact, the winner of "The Game" or any football game is that team that scores the most points, whether it shows it has the toughest team or not.Until coach Day breaks out of this mental trap he will continue to stumble against that team up North and will be owned by them. Coach Day, please break out, play your game (fast, creative, aggressive, multifaceted), not Michigan’s and beat that team up North again and again.

Harry Pukay-Martin, Worthington

Dear Editor:After the TTUN loss, I've read a lot of armchair athletic director assessments online. While some are stronger than others, many seen to be either venting or shallow in their depth. Let me try to explain.

I think Day and most of his staff are amazing. In spite of the consistent turnover to the pros and to the portal for other top talents, they continue to recruit and win at an elite level. While not winning against TTUN, I think assessing the loss requires a bit more end-to-end and objective perspective rather than just venting or focusing on that game alone. As fans with a high football IQ can mostly agree, games are won and lost based on talent, depth, coaching, passion and consistency across the season, and not one game. All in all, getting rid of Day would be a huge mistake and a gift to whomever got him. The same applies to Kelly when you consider it takes time for players to learn the system. Look at year two of our defense as a perfect example.

For me, the loss to TTUN was not that surprising. After the Oregon game, I thought we had what we needed to win the TTUN game. But it all hinged on our weakest areas getting more experience with our system (e.g., QB) and our thinnest areas staying healthy (i.e., offensive line). This brings me to my armchair AD assessment.

The offensive line recruiting has been average overall and below average for a top-five college football program. While we do get solid players, it is not on par with our other position groups. We've been losing major recruiting battles for several years, and that needs to be addressed urgently. Weak line play affects everything on the offense, including play-calling and player growth. Trial by fire isn't the best way to develop most of your best players. The top talent can survive sometimes, but a great system brings them along at a pace that doesn't risk their development or the impact on team performance. This year, our offensive line required several key portal additions to stay healthy while backups developed and optimized their games. That fell apart with injuries, and everything on the offense has suffered to a degree, culminating in a lack of offensive capability and a loss to TTUN. At OSU, we should have enough line talent and a ready pipeline to make that much less of an issue in most years.

Offensive line recruiting capabilities need to be addressed this offseason so that historic QB play isn't required to beat the best teams. OSU has enough talent consistently everywhere else to win it all with some regularity every few years, but o-line recruiting needs addressed urgently.

We had another average or below cycle. The guys we got are solid, but we need a consistent pipeline of impact line players to position us to win the biggest games with some regularity. The calls for Day (or even Kelly) to be replaced are misplaced.

Pepe Gammons

To the editor: Injuries are part of the game. But you look at the 12 teams in the playoffs and how many teams on have a decimated offense line? Texas and Oregon have all started five. People just don't realize how hard it is with backups. Plus the second-most important player is the center. He was playing at All-American level. It's bad luck losing him at the end of the season. Ohio State pushed around Penn State's defense before more injuries on their line.

Bob Bennett

To Mr. White: Ryan Day is an exceptional football coach. I believe him to be one of the best in college football based on the overall position of the program. However, for the last two years, I have been asking the same question: Why is Justin Frye still the offensive line coach? He fails to recruit top linemen, and in this current 2025 class there are only three signed. A good mason knows you build on concrete, not sand. All Frye has done is build on sand. Coach Day has brought in coaches he feels will help the program, yet he fails to find a good offensive line coach. Ohio State has the talent to win multiple national championships under coach Day. They just need a line that will do the job.

Fausto J Garofalo Jr., Columbus

To the editor: We have all had those tush-clenching flop sweat moments of terror in big moments of our lives, but luckily, unlike coach Day, they don’t happen on national TV under the bright lights in front of 100,000 screaming Buckeye fans. In my terror moments I try to slow things down and do what I am best at. For coach Day, he needs to remember he is a quarterback and receiver coach at heart and throw the damn ball. Don’t emulate Woody and run the ball or scream and yell like Urban. If Day stays true to himself and doesn’t choke like my dogs on chicken bones, Ohio State will send the Tennessee football team home with a loss. If not, coach Day will be looking for another coaching job.

Michael Oser, Columbus

To the editor: I was just aghast at the Ohio State play-calling. In a situation like that, you can't call short down-losing running plays when you're 30 yards or so out, along with short sideline passes. You need to score a touchdown. If I can recognize that, it should be obvious that the play-calling was a significantdriver of the loss to Michigan because it led to loss of downs without any significant advance in field position. This can only go on so long. In the end you need to take reasonable risks to score a touchdown.

James W. Adams, Columbus

To Brian: Back when I coached Little League baseball, maybe the most important thing I tried to get across to everyone was don't be afraid to fail.Unfortunately, that is how Ohio State football now plays the last game on the schedule. They did strike out, as did Babe Ruth on occasion, but that's not what we remember about him.Just as Ohio State got a second chance a decade ago with that new four-team format which they capitalized on, this 12-team format gives this team another chance.It may not reduce the sting of that loss, but I'm hopeful they now go out and play to win rather than playing not to lose and just see what happens.

Dennis Singleton,Dayton

On high school football

To Mr. White: Bishop Watterson has a long-standing reputation as a central Ohio high school football powerhouse. This year's team carried on that tradition with its school’s fourth state football championship.

Two recent Dispatch stories incorrectly reported that Watterson “was seeking their third all-time” since 2002 and that they had “won their third state title and first since 2010.”

In 1966, Watterson defeated crosstown rival Upper Arlington 32-0 in the final game of the season. UA was ranked No.1 and Watterson No. 4 in the UPI/AP Class AA polls. Watterson was awarded the state championship by four points over No. 2 perennial powerhouse Canton McKinley. There was no Class AAA at the time. This Watterson–Upper Arlington match up was the first televised central Ohio high school football game ever and carried by two local networks. Several players from both schools would go on to play Division I football and Watterson’s coach, Dick Walker, landed coaching jobs at Ohio State, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. I would encourage you to research this game further and the impact that it had on central Ohio high school football.

When I disputed the championship error from a comment I made on the Dec. 5 Dispatch story, Ohio High school football state finals: 4 things to watch for Olentangy Liberty, Watterson” a Dispatch sports person replied, “We don’t count 'poll' championships. We count championships since the playoffs started since 1972. They are OHSAA state championships since 1972. That is what all the newspapers in the state count.”

I replied that “a championship is a championship. By not including a school’s athletic championship prior to 1972 is inaccurate and ridiculous.” I would also include that refusing to acknowledge "poll” championships is a slap in the face to the players of those teams, student bodies and the schools they represent. It's mind boggling that The Dispatch even tries to differentiate between poll and playoff championships.

By The Dispatch’s reasoning and reporting, these championships don’t exist. Watterson and other so-called poll champions might as well remove their championship banners from their gymnasium rafters. And who cares what “all the newspapers in the state count?” What about college football “poll” championships before 1998? Do The Dispatch and newspapers in the state discount those, too? I don’t think so. As one of four Motil boys who played football for Watterson during the 1960’s and 70’s, I think I can speak on behalf of my siblings and former and current Watterson players, coaches and students. It’s time The Dispatch make the correct decision and take the lead on recognizing all high school football state championships in your reporting. It would be as simple as stating one's “overall” state football championships. Get it right!

Joe Motil, Columbus

To Joe: First off, you and others who won those poll titles should be very proud. It's quite an achievement. But as far as the OHSAA is concerned, high school football teams have played for state championships since the playoffs began in 1972. We don't count poll championships as official state titles because the OHSAA doesn't count them.If the OHSAA would recognize them and list them in their records for consistency and safekeeping, we would list them as well.

On The Dispatch

To the editor: I have been a Columbus Dispatch subscriber for over 40 years, and may cancel my subscription. Why? Sports Section, for example, must be the worst in the USA!

With digital age, data and scores of the various sports is almost instant due to the Internet. Example:OSU football games in the past could have ended at 10:45 p.m. and The Dispatch would have reported stats and game highlights. Now games may end at 3:30 p.m., and there is nothing reported in the next day's publications.

Due to technology, it is a simple copy/past, and due to digital programs is far less labor intensive than five-10-20 years ago. Look at other cities. The New Orleans Times-Picayune, for example.Games could end at 11:30 at night and full reporting and stats for game across the country.

If Columbus area wants to grow and attract business and residents, then The Dispatch must improve on delivering news, sports and business information or suffer continued losses of readership to "online" information.

Gerry Miller, Galena

To Gerry: First off, thanks for your loyal readership and feedback. But it is not true that games ending at 3:30 are not in The Dispatch print editions. All noon Ohio State football games were in Sunday editions, and all 1 p.m. Bengals and Browns games, which end after 4 p.m., are in Monday's editions. But, yes, that is the limit of what gets in print. No longer are night games in the print editions. We all wish they were, but that's not how the business is evolving. Many newspapers are in the same boat. But, I'm glad you mentioned the "digital age" and instant news, because our online product, Dispatch.com, is filled with late-breaking and more expansive coverage that doesn't fit in print. In essence, our print editions don't contain as much content as print editions of old, but our online editions offer much more than those print editions did. You're getting far more, just not in print.

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Mailbox: Do Ohio State football, Ryan Day need to 'chill' when it comes to Michigan? (2025)

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