Wolverine Digest

REPORT: Ohio State AD gives Ryan Day 'full support' despite 4th straight loss to Michigan

Despite all the clamoring for his firing, it sounds like Ryan Day's job is safe despite a fourth consecutive loss to Michigan...

Matt Lounsberry

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Despite mounting frustration and a demand of action from the Buckeye faithful, it sounds like Ryan Day's job status is safe at Ohio State University.

On Sunday, the Columbus Dispatch's Bill Rabinowitz reported that Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork is giving Day "his full support" despite a fourth consecutive loss to Michigan in 'The Game'. As head coach of the Buckeyes, Day has gone 1-4 in five games against the Wolverines.

“Our full focus right now is on the College Football Playoff and making a strong run,” Bjork told the Dispatch. “We have a ton to play for. We have a great team made up of talented players and great young men. Coach Day does a great job leading our program. He's our coach.”

Day has been heavily criticized by his own fanbase over the last four years for falling short in the biggest rivalry in all of sports, but this most-recent defeat at the hands of the Wolverines was the lowest point yet for the embattled head coach. Ohio State entered 'The Game' as a three-touchdown favorite over Michigan, and the 13-10 loss marked the largest upset in 127-year history of the rivalry.

“We’re disappointed (with Saturday’s loss), but he’s our coach,” said Bjork, who replaced long-time OSU athletic director Gene Smith in July. “I’m focused on supporting our players and our coaches and continuing to get to know our fan base and our donor base and leading through this disappointing time.”

In six seasons as head coach at Ohio State, Day holds a 66-10 overall record, including a 47-1 mark against all Big Ten opponents outside of Michigan. However, that's far from a consolation for a fanbase who's identity is grounded in beating 'the team up north'. The Wolverines' four straight wins over the Buckeyes is Michigan's longest winning streak in 'The Game' since 1988-91 — the first four years of the John Cooper era in Columbus.

Despite all of that, Bjork insists that Day is the right man to lead Ohio State football.

“There's a ton of stability across the board within the program,” Bjork said. “We're always in the top five under his leadership. We're right there. We have great fan support, great donor support.

“There's going to be plenty of time to dissect what happened in the rivalry game the last couple years. But right now, we have to keep the main thing the main thing, and that's focus on the values of the program, focus on why we lead the young men, focus on the mission and the playoff.”

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Matt Lounsberry
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