Ohio State Coach Opens Up About Heartbreaking Oregon Loss

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day opened up about his team's heartbreaking loss to the Oregon Ducks.

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day arrives at Autzen Stadium prior to the NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming into Saturday night's marquee matchup between the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 3 ranked Oregon Ducks, the game was expected to be a good one.

When everything was said and done, neither team disappointed. Unfortunately, Ohio State came up short and ended up falling by a final score of 32-31.

The Buckeyes had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but two brutal mistakes from Jeremiah Smith and Will Howard ended those hopes.

Following the game, head coach Ryan Day spoke out about his team's heartbreaking loss. He was very honest, but is confident that his team can get the issues fixed.

“We talk about, ‘Take care of the football.’ ... To turn the ball over and give it to them in plus-territory, that was a big play in the game. ... We kept fighting. We kept hanging in there. ... Couldn’t quite get the stops when we needed to and didn’t finish it. ... We can sit here an look at one play here, one there. We’re not gonna do that. We’re gonna own it. We’re gonna get it fixed," Day said.

Day also opened up about the defense allowing big play after big play. Everytime Oregon needed a play, they seemed to get it.

“It starts with coaching. We’ve gotta coach it better, demand it better and drill it better in practice.”

He also talked about how his team beat itself far too often throughout the game. The pain of the loss was clearly in his quote.

“Some false starts there that hurt and that’s ultimately things that we can’t accept. ... I thought guys kept fighting, guys kept swinging. ... This one hurts, it does hurt. ... Give Oregon credit, they played well, but there’s too many things that we didn’t do well.”

After such a disappointing loss, it can take a lot to get back on track. Hopefully, Ohio State doesn't suffer any kind of hangover from it.

Next up for the Buckeyes is a matchup at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on October 26th. They will have time to rest up, recover, and make adjustments before that game.