'Try Losing a Game at Ohio State.' Ryan Day Preps for Buckeyes' Pivotal Year

Ohio State visits Penn State in November as part of a championship-or-bust season for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been five years since Ohio State last beat rival Michigan, the reigning national champion. That’s to say, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day certainly has his hands full in 2024, a year in which he’ll get another crack at beating the Wolverines, face off with new Big Ten powerhouse Oregon and play at Penn State.

Day knows the pressure is on, and another loss to Michigan could very well mean his job. The expectations are high, and the noise is growing increasingly loud.

“Now, our guys, they know what the expectation is. You've heard some of them say what their goals are. We're not going to shy away from that,” Day said Tuesday at Big Ten Football Media Days. “We want to win the rivalry game, be right in this stadium right here and win this Big Ten championship, win a National Championship. We know that. At the same time, that can't be our focus because that's a distraction from where we are right now.”

The Buckeyes, who visit Penn State on Nov. 2, will look different this fall, from the personnel to the roster. The most notable change was Day’s decision to step back from play-calling duties, passing the role to former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, the team’s new offensive coordinator.

Kelly inherits a talented offense that grew even stronger with a few key transfer additions. Former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, who rushed for 106 yards and caught a touchdown pass against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, joins first-team All-Big Ten honoree TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield. Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard takes the reins at quarterback from Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse. 

The defense is as strong as it's been under Day and returns some of the top players in the country, including cornerback Denzel Burke and defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. It certainly couldn’t hurt to add former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who won last season’s Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

“Every time I've gone into a season at Ohio State, … you expect to win every game,” Day said. “That's just what it is. If you don't think that's the case, try losing a game at Ohio State. You're expected to win them all.”

As Day’s hunt for a national championship nears, here’s how he diagrammed the offense and his role in it during Tuesday’s press conference.

On his bond with Chip Kelly: “For me turning it over, I really wanted to have somebody that had head coaching experience. Now, never thought that you would have somebody that was a head coach the way he has been in college and in the NFL and that background. It allows me a little more of a peace of mind and certainly a lot of trust there. I trust Chip with my life, and that's a big part of any time you are handing something over like that that you have done almost your entire career.”

On his backseat role with the offense: “Going into each game, we'll have a game plan in place. Chip is here for a reason, to run the offense, but I think it's my job as the head coach to look on the horizon and figure out what's coming. In this conference I have experience of what's coming down the road, the games we need to win, how we need to win.

On collaborating with Kelly: "The great thing for [Kelly] and I is, we see things the same way, and we've been in the same offense together in our careers. I think there will be a lot of that. Chip is one of the best offensive minds in the history of college football, in my opinion, and he's a great play-caller. He's got to do that. He just has to go and get a feel for our guys and let them call it. In terms of the management of the game, it will allow me the opportunity to be on both sides of the ball, including special teams, and have a great feel for that and making those decisions.”

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Seth Engle has covered Penn State football and men’s basketball for the past four years, most recently serving as the football editor of the Daily Collegian. His work has appeared in the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive, Centre Daily Times and more. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @bigsengtweets.