Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.
On Ohio State football
To Mr. White: All the criticism and second-guessing about the loss to Michigan has been well documented. However there is something else that has to be said, First, I want to congratulate coach Knowles and his defense for playing a great game and only giving up one touchdown. That should be more than enough to win a game. Now, to the real reason for the loss: Winning means forcing the other team to make mistakes and exploiting their weaknesses. Coach Kelly did none of this. He has the best receivers in college football, yet does not utilize them. His stubbornness to run the ball only put us in positions that were difficult to overcome. Why not use the passing game to draw the defense back so the run game can open up? Coach Kelly’s game plan was not what it must be and looked like a high school coordinator calling plays. The sad part of all this is coach Day is going to take all the hits because of his loyalty and friendship with Kelly. Let’s hope the AD does not make any rash decisions and that coach Day will be back.
Fausto J Garofalo Jr.
To the editor: After some 60-plus years of watching OSU\UM games, I have never seen such poor game planning and atrocious play-calling. It sounded like the fans in the stands thought so, too. The $10 million man owes the players who stayed to get that win a huge apology.
Mike Howard, Westerville
To the editor: When Earle Bruce said the loss to Indiana was the darkest day he was wrong. Now Ryan Day has to go! Worst-coached game ever!
Warren Dewees
To the editor: Face it, fellow Buckeye fans. No, it wasn’t the two missed field goals that were the difference in the game. Had he made them both, Michigan could still have come away with victory if, instead of milking the clock to settle for a field goal inside the 5-yard-line, they had to score a TD instead. Chances are they could have done it. And remember they threw an interception in the end zone and were stopped on fourth down near the goal line as well. Those mistakes deprived them of at least six points, likely more.
The blame rests squarely on the “genius” calling plays from the box in the stands, and equally for the head coach for allowing the failed run-heavy strategy to continue late in the fourth quarter. And was it just me or did it seem the players weren’t sufficiently fired up for a game that was as important a game as ever in the history of this fierce rivalry? If they showed the same fire as they did after the game during the flag-planting debacle perhaps the outcome would have been different.
No matter what happens in the playoffs, Day has proven he is not the guy to lead such a ridiculously rich, talented roster that should have easily earned a Big Ten championship and a top spot in the playoffs. And it’s also clear Chip Kelly’s best days are far behind him. Time for big changes at the top. We can all agree on that.
Daniel Della Flora
To Fausto, Mike, Warren, Daniel, others: Just as Jack Sawyer’s interception would have gone down in Ohio State lore if the Buckeyes won the game as everyone expected, now the play-calling on Nov. 30, 2024, will be remembered and discussed forever. Michigan had one advantage in the game − the interior defensive line − and the Buckeyes kept ramming right into it despite having a weak and patchwork offensive line. At some point, you have to admit that tough-guy football is not your thing and open it up and attack the other team’s weaknesses.
Hi, Brian: When your noodle-armed QB is hurt and choking, going to the run and playing field position was what this game turned in to. Then giving up huge chunks of yards on special teams by letting a punt bounce, falling on a kickoff return at the 6, and later dropping an easy pass that was a first down, become magnified. Day says don’t leave a doubt because in close games the fundamentals kill his teams and his weak game-day coaching is exposed.
2024 weaknesses:
1. Weak-armed QB who couldn’t take full advantage of an elite WR group and contributed to occasional difficulties running the ball as defenses crowded the box.
2. Never developing a competent back up QB. No playing time given.
3. Special teams, especially kicking. Field goals, kickoffs, punts were issues all year.
4. Weirdly, no pressure from the front four. Had to blitz to get pressure on QB, which often left our DB’s in single coverage. Still, defense was a strength all year except Oregon game where, for some reason, we almost never brought pressure.
5. Continued clock and game management in close games and at the end of halves. Thought this would be better with Day not calling the plays, but was actually worse.
Steve Huggins, Columbus
Mr. White: Ryan Day and staff didn’t want to win the game against Michigan. They won’t come out and say it publicly but they are looking at the big picture. Playing chess and not checkers. No matter what the end result of the game against Michigan, the Buckeyes will still be going to the playoffs. So losing to Michigan keeps them from having to play an Oregon team that they may face for a third time in the playoffs. It gives them more rest before the playoffs. By not utilizing their key players, they not only saved them from potentially getting hurt but they also kept them from getting banged up in a conference championship game. They can’t say this for obvious reasons, but make no mistake about it − Ryan Day and Buckeye company didn’t want to win that game. They are focused on a national championship and that alone.
Robert Collins
To Brian: First of all, congrats to Michigan for yet another win over Ohio State. Hard-fought and well earned. That said, having your coach berate OSU fans by waving goodbye to them and telling them “We own you” struck me as childish and classless. The same can be said of Michigan players attempting to plant their flag on OSU’s logo, although I also would add “antagonistic” to that list. And while I don’t necessarily condone OSU players for their retaliatory actions, I can certainly understand where they were coming from. Michigan’s running back stated afterward that “some people need to learn to lose.” Perhaps so, but I would counter by saying some teams need to learn to win with a little bit of class.
Dave Schroeder
Hey Brian: Did you notice during the postgame scuffle Chip Kelly was calling all maneuvers and Ryan Day was overseeing everything that went on? However, we still lost?
Rick Higgins
Dear sports editor: I support Ryan Day and believe, on balance, that he’s been a good coach who has earned and continues to receive the love of fans and players alike. It’s easy for many to forget that Day was robbed of two playoff wins by unconscionably terrible officiating that changed the result of both games. And it carries weight that he’s a person of character. It’s hard to imagine him getting a lap dance at a bar, and his loyalty to players is reciprocated. First-round picks continue to postpone their NFL careers to play for Day, and the best recruits choose to be Buckeyes.
Which makes the drop-off at quarterback a little baffling. People were quick to condemn Kyle McCord and his detached attitude when he proved to be a merely good quarterback. Fans seem to be much more forgiving with Will Howard and his happy, can-do attitude, but a good attitude doesn’t pick up first downs against elite defenses. We were spoiled by five years of truly elite quarterback play with Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, but the defenses weren’t quite up to snuff. Now we’ve had an elite defense for two seasons, with the current iteration clearly the best in the country, but the play at quarterback is not. Howard missed open receivers multiple times against Michigan, and while eight interceptions on the season is not bad, his breakdowns have come at the worst moments when superior quarterback play is needed most. Michigan, who has an elite defense, sold out to stop the run, daring Howard to beat them. He failed. The play calling was understandably criticized, but it looked to me like the coaches didn’t trust Howard to make the throws that needed to be made to get first downs and win the game.
And backing up Howard is Devin Brown. Most have been clamoring to see Julian Sayin all season long, but when it looked like Howard might be out, fans started groaning at the prospect of Brown coming out to give another sub-elite performance. When Alabama’s Jalen Hurts wasn’t getting it done in the 2018 national championship against Georgia, Nick Saban sent out Tua Tagovailoa to win the game. Now both guys start in the NFL. Will Day have the courage to make such a decision in the future, and will he have elite guys on the sideline to make it happen? I hope the answer to both is yes. People root for good guys, and they appreciate loyalty. But success at the highest level is determined by beating the other teams at that level.
Bob Young, Columbus
To Brian: Anyone who read about Ryan Day’s offer to provide a charter flight for Buckeyes announcer and Iowa football dad Jim Lachey to return home for The Game has to be touched. They saw a side of the OSU coach that’s rarely been seen. Sure, he could afford to arrange it himself or whether the university chipped in. It’s the thought, you know.
But Day rose above his season-ending loss. Michigan’s Sherrone Moore will regret the flag-planting idea, crowing they “own” the Buckeyes – a severe lack of coaching humility. Hopefully, he’ll be chastened – a call from his former boss? He’s forgetting the overwhelming dominance by Ohio State from 2001 to 2020.
Day has earned my respect with his generous concern to others like Lachey. Yet not even a CFP championship (2022) could veil the heartache of rivalry losses. Especially, a reverberating thud in Ohio Stadium. May it never happen again.
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Brian: I found this letter on my email from this time last year. You called it! Syracuse did not play Clemson or Florida State and had Miami at home. Just think if those messy losses to Stanford and Boston College had turned. We’d be in the run for an even more prestigious bowl.
As it is, coach Fran Brown’s got spunk, can recruit and is a long way from Dino Babers while Kyle McCord (+ receivers and Le Quint Allen) have made the Orange football an ACC destination.
I’ll always be grateful for McCord’s father blowing it all up and Ryan Day for allowing his No. 1 QB to be a scapegoat in the 2023 loss to Michigan. Or was it 2022? Or 2021?
McCord’s 12 interceptions and -58 yards in running are only an asterisk. McCord broke all passing records in upstate New York and brought excitement back to the school I love.
Barb Seckler
To the editor: I hope, for OSU’s sake, it isn’t Tennessee. Simply because Ohio State can’t beat the SEC any more than they can beat Michigan.
They really want Penn State’s matchups. Easy wins over Arizona State and Boise State and a win vs. Oregon in a rematch, thereby reaching the championship game and perhaps saving Ryan Day’s job.
They’re not facing Michigan, and as long as they’re not matched up against SEC teams, they have a decent chance.
F. Martin Pickens
To Brian: You may have received a few other letters about the abominable play calling Saturday, so I’ll address the postgame. In 1977, Buckeye players tore down the home team’s banner in Ann Arbor, which was wrong. Last Saturday, several games had winning visiting players wanting to plant their flags on the logo of the home team, which is wrong. I would require all involved in instigating trouble made to sit down and watch the Army-Navy game to see how gentlemen compete hard but with character and sportsmanship, and especially watch how that plays out honoring each other right after the game. Also, after the visiting coach in Columbus tried to dismiss his player’s inappropriate behavior by saying some were waving a flag as if that was all they were doing, I’d have him in the front row.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
To Brian: If there is a comment I can add to what I imagine are countless messages you received on the skirmish after the OSU-Michigan game, I think it all goes back to the thoughts in my letter you previously published: We depend on the adults in the room to teach sportsmanship to all athletes. It is something that is obviously really lacking these days.
I had an interesting experience in Oklahoma last year. I was watching a high school basketball tournament and the championship game was decided by just a couple of points. I was hanging around after the game to talk with the coaches and I observed one team come back out of the locker room, climb into the stands and begin sweeping and picking up trash. By the time they were done, there was very little left for the janitorial staff to do.
The team doing the cleaning was the losing team. A few minutes after a heartbreaking loss, the losing team cleaned the stands in a school that was not their own, and they did it without grumbling or griping.
I spoke with the coach of that team and he told me that he and his team feel that part of their mission is to leave the world (in this case, the opposing team’s gym) a little better when they leave- not flag planting, not trash talking, not fighting. Leave things better than they were.
Alan Summers
Dear Brian: The new playoff system gives major college football a system similar to the annual basketball tournament. But so far, few seem to realize it. So we lost to Michigan (again). We can win a national title, and our rival isn’t in the dance.
When Carolina and Duke play men’s basketball, the losers don’t hang their heads and call the whole season a bust. They go out with renewed life into the madness and embrace it. It is called resilience. We need a lot of that, fans and players alike.
And we have the right head coach. Thanks for your efforts, coach Day. Go get ’em next time.
Doug Shoemaker, Westerville
To Brian: I have had OSU football season tickets for 69 years. I had the opportunity to work with coach Woody and coach Bo in 1961-62 football season as the dentist for the team. Paul Horning was The Dispatch sports editor. Kay Kessler was the sports editor for the morning paper. We all three had long discussions about Woody and Bo coaching together. Everyone wanted to know what “the old man” would do next. That was the year the faculty council voted not to allow OSU to go to the Rose Bowl, to show Woody he was not the most important person on campus. Woody broke up the crowd that gathered at 15th and High Street and wanted to burn down the school. I was in attendance when a bonfire was lit that burned the wires holding the traffic light 30 feet in the air. The crowd marched from 15th and High downtown in the demonstration. It was very heated on campus for a week.
I have lost respect for most journalists, as many have taken the woke perspective of reporting, which is tainted with politics. Sports reporting is the freest of bias because most accomplishments are on the field of competition. That being said, I was intrigued by your article in the Dec. 1 Dispatch.
The 13-10 loss to TTUN was the most embarrassing in my 69 years in attendance. Running into their strength repeatedly was beyond common sense. Trying to prove we were bigger and stronger in the middle of the line can only be a pride and ego problem. Our expansive receiver room is the most talented in college football and was mainly used in desperation. The 12-team group will allow OSU to have a presence this year in finding the national championship. Hopefully, our talent will be called upon to participate in the passing game.
Many of the young men are committed Christians and will take this opportunity to share their faith in losing to a lesser talented team. God allows trials to bring us closer to Himself. I am a committed Christian who was saddened and endured despair with the 2024 loss. I cannot buy into the statement, “It is only a football game.” In comparison to salvation, a football game is of no consequence. To a committed Christian Buckeye, it will take a few days to overcome the frustration.
Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, “How was the play?”
Duke Heller, Worthington
To the editor: The mass mayhem at midfield after the abysmal Ohio State loss to Michigan should lead to hefty fines for each player involved from both teams. Coach Day wasn’t interested in stopping the altercations, but the OSU and Michigan athletic directors should issue monetary sanctions against the players and donate the money to local domestic violence women shelters in Columbus and Ann Arbor. The players get paid NIL money, so they can afford the fines. And both universities need to regain some dignity after the classless behaviors of both teams.
Michael Oser, Columbus
On the Blue Jackets
Dear Editor: The recent statement by the Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell that they are in an “asset-building mode” should be banned from use by anyone associated with the Blue Jackets. It’s a situation understood by anyone paying even remote attention. That line is getting old and wearing thin. The Blue Jackets have been in existence since 2000, and it seems they have never left the “asset-building mode.” What’s up with that? Shouldn’t there be a statute of limitations on the “building mode” line? It’s the same song, second verse year in and year out. It seems the Blue Jackets are stuck in the hockey version of the movie “Groundhog Day,” and the fans just keep meeting Ned Ryerson (the insurance guy). Hopefully our collective love of the Blue Jackets will get us out of the Groundhog Day loop as it did for Phil Connors, but I am not sure we can all learn to play the piano. But let’s try.
Chet Ridenour Sr., Worthington
To Chet: I considered making this week’s Mailbox restricted to the many emails I got in the aftermath of Ohio State-Michigan, but great mentions of Ned Ryerson and Phil Connors won me over. A classic in many ways.
More from the Mailbox
Would Ohio State football’s Jim Tressel, Earle Bruce have taken a knee?
Noon Ohio State football games don’t seem so bad from the West Coast
OSU proves Dispatch writers to be wrong with win at Penn State
Reader says Ohio State football fans shouldn’t be told when to cheer
Ohio State football lost, and readers are unhappy
Did soft schedule lead to Ohio State football ‘hype train’ being derailed?
Is it time to put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?
Remembering Cincinnati Reds’ Pete Rose, a great hitter but flawed person
A tribute to overlooked, ‘indispensable’ photographers
Are Ohio State football games getting to be too long?
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football fans write in, question play-calling vs. Michigan
