Ohio State Buckeyes Coach Ryan Day Explains Controversial First-Half Field Goal Decision vs. Michigan Wolverines
The Ohio State Buckeyes lost a heartbreaker to the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon, dropping their first game of the season, and their third straight to their arch-rivals.
One of the most controversial moments of that loss was head coach Ryan Day's decision to wind down the clock and settle for a 52-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Day elected to burn almost 40 seconds of game clock before calling a timeout and attempting the field goal, a kick that would ultimately sail wide left, and send the Buckeyes into the locker room down 14-10.
Day explained his decision to the media after the game, defending his choice.
"Well, I felt like at 52 yards, it was worth a field goal there," Day said. "It was fourth-and-two or fourth-and-three. If you don't get the fourth down, you get no points. I felt like it was worth the opportunity to kick the field goal there. I felt that was the right move."
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team in warm-ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
That decision, obviously, did not sit well with fans or analysts, many of whom thought that day should have been more aggressive, and gone for a touchdown while keeping the field goal in his pocket as a backup plan.
And to be fair, there is a point to be made. After all, 40 seconds is an eternity in terms of game time, and you have a chance to get your kicker closer for a last-resort kick.
Day, however, sees it differently.
"I thought that was the right thing to do to get some points at the end of the half, especially starting on the 2-yard line," Day said. "I thought it was the right move. If you make it, you feel great. If you don’t, you don’t."
The Buckeyes would ultimately go on to lose 30-24, and had they made the field goal, could have been in a much better position to tie the game on their final drive.
