Ryan Day

Head coach Ryan Day took the brunt of the criticism on social media Saturday after the previously undefeated No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes fell 45-23 to the still-undefeated No. 3 Michigan Wolverines in the 118th edition of The Game.

OSU was favored to win at home at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, especially with Michigan's superstar running back Blake Corum being severely limited by a knee injury, but Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines pulled off the upset, beating Ohio State for a second consecutive year.

The Buckeyes had won 17 of their previous 20 meetings with Michigan entering Saturday's game, but by virtue of their victory, the Wolverines have won back-to-back contests against OSU for the first time since 1999 and 2000.

Most of Michigan's offensive success this season has come on the back of Corum and the running game, but with Corum ailing, Harbaugh allowed quarterback J.J. McCarthy to air the ball out to great effect.

All three of McCarthy's touchdown passes were from at least 45 yards out, marking a true rarity for both the Michigan offense and Ohio State defense:

Day made adjustments, but that allowed Michigan to gash OSU on the ground in the second half, including touchdowns of 75 and 85 yards by Donovan Edwards in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Fans and experts questioned Day's decision-making not only in terms of defensive alignment, but also offensive play-calling, as star quarterback C.J. Stroud was not permitted to take the game into his own hands for the most part.

Stroud finished with 349 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but Day was committed to running the ball with third-string running back and converted linebacker Chip Trayanum, which limited the explosiveness of the offense.

Many wondered why Stroud and star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. weren't simply allowed to take over the game, which they have proved capable of on many occasions:

Day was also crushed for twice deciding to punt on fourth down around midfield with the Buckeyes trailing 24-20. Even Stroud expressed his displeasure, per Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated:

Even with Saturday's loss, Day has gone a remarkable 45-5 in parts of five seasons as the head coach at OSU, but the Buckeyes have not won a national title during that time and may have played their way out of this season's College Football Playoff.

Because of that, many were calling for Day's job on Twitter:

Firing Day after suffering the first loss of the season in late November may seem like an overreaction, but even Day himself stressed the importance of beating Michigan before the game.

When asked this week if he made four changes to his coaching staff during the offseason due to last season's loss to Michigan, Day strongly suggested that was the case, telling reporters: "We're evaluated by the big games. That's the way it goes here, and certainly we know what comes with it."

Day has won some big games at Ohio State, but he has perhaps lost just as many, including a CFP National Championship Game and two contests against fierce rival Michigan.

Michigan clinched its spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and likely the CFP regardless of the result, whereas Ohio State must wait and hope for losses by TCU and perhaps even LSU and USC to have a chance to play for a national title.

It remains possible that the CFP committee has seen enough to put Ohio State in the CFP even with a home loss to Michigan, but it would be the definition of backing into the playoff.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told reporters on Tuesday that running back TreVeyon Henderson is expected to play against Michigan State on Saturday after missing this week's 49-10 win over Rutgers with a minor injury.

Henderson reportedly suffered the injury in warmups ahead of the Rutgers game and was kept out as a precautionary measure.

"It's nothing big, it's just we gotta be sure if we're gonna put him in the game," Day said on the Big Ten Network during halftime of the Rutgers win (h/t Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors). "We weren't sure. Something that kinda came up pregame, so we're gonna be careful."

Henderson, a sophomore, was fantastic in his freshman season, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 27 catches for 312 yards and another four scores. He's rushed for 318 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Injuries had already played a part in his season, however. Henderson left the Sept. 17 win over Toledo in a walking boot, though he played the next week against Wisconsin and rushed for 121 yards in the 52-21 win.

Junior running back Miyan Williams stepped into the starting role with Henderson out, rushing for 189 yards and five scores.

"I look at it as we have two starters," running backs coach and run-game coordinator Tony Alford told reporters on Tuesday. "That's how I've looked at it the whole time."

Ohio State has steamrolled most of its opponents en route to a 5-0 record, rushing for 226.2 yards per game (11th in the country) and 48.8 points per contest (third). As usual, the Buckeyes are stacked on offense.

Keeping Henderson healthy is important as the team heads into the meat of its Big Ten schedule, however, even with an excellent option like Williams at the ready.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano played down any significance to the heated exchange he had with Ohio State's Ryan Day on the field Saturday.

Schiano told reporters it was merely "two coaches who protect their players":

It’s not Ryan Day and I. My player was in a sea of Ohio State players and it was closing fast. I wanted to make sure of two things: I wanted to stop our team from coming across the field (because) that’s how things get very ugly, and I wanted to make sure our player got out of there safely. We’re both very competitive guys. I have the upmost respect for Ryan. We’re good friends. We’re good. There’s no problem between us.

Up 39 points in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes ran a fake punt. Jesse Mirco went for 22 yards and was hit after going out of bounds. That triggered a brief shoving match between members of the two teams.

Schiano walked toward the OSU sideline as well and had some choice words for Day.

Like his counterpart, Day was quick to move on from the matter.

"You know, it's one coach defending their side against another coach," he told reporters. "No hard feelings at all. Talked to him after the game, and I have an unbelievable amount of respect for him."

Along with coaching in the same conference, Day and Schiano spent two seasons together on the Ohio State staff. Prior to succeeding Urban Meyer, Day was the Buckeyes' co-offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018, when Schiano was an associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

Ohio State rolled over the Scarlet Knights 49-10 at Ohio Stadium. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Buckeyes have scored 49-plus points in nine straight contests against Rutgers, the longest such streak by one team over the same opponent since 1936.

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day and his wife Christina donated $1 million to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine to fund mental health research, per Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch.

Raising awareness about mental health has been a hallmark of Day's time as the Buckeyes' head coach, and the money will go toward The Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund. He previously helped establish The Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness through Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Day told reporters that a major difference between the Resilience Fund and some of his previous work is this will primarily focus on helping college-aged people.

"And certainly that college age, when Nina and I started talking about that, that's tough, it's a tough year for a lot of people, a tough stretch for a lot of people," he said. "They need the resources, they need the help, but then also identifying what those risk factors are, we'd really love to be a part of to get out in front of it."

Mental health in regards to the Buckeyes football team also took center stage in March when offensive lineman Harry Miller announced his medical retirement from the game.

"Prior to the season last year, I told Coach Day of my intention to kill myself," Miller wrote. "He immediately had me in touch with Dr. Candice [Williams] and Dr. [Joshua] Norman, and I received the support I needed."

Miller also highlighted the support he received from his head coach and the football program that has multiple full-time mental health professionals on staff when he appeared as part of a feature on ESPN's SportsCenter in June:

"Sometimes, it is the matter of life and death," Miller said. "The structure of having a coach like Coach Day, who's receptive, and having a staff like the mental health staff and the things that were in place at Ohio State definitely saved my life."

Day's father died by suicide when the Ohio State coach was just eight years old.

"I do think, as a leader, when you show vulnerability, then you connect with everyone and you show that is OK," he previously said. "If I'm sharing my story and willing to share some personal thoughts, then maybe they’ll be more willing to do so."

He is doing more than just sharing his story, though, and continued to provide financial support on Wednesday.

The Ohio State football team finished last year with an 11-2 record and a Rose Bowl victory, but the Buckeyes also lost to Michigan, failed to win the Big Ten title and missed out on the College Football Playoff.

It was still a good season for the Buckeyes, who finished sixth in the Associated Press poll, but head coach Ryan Day told reporters that there are still "scars" from last season amid the team's annual sky-high expectations.

"Last year, we were so young that we didn't know what we didn't know," Day said (h/t Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch).

"This year, we know what it's like to lose a game. We know what it's like to lose that rivalry game. And that was not good. And so there are some scars there, which is a good thing."

As Day noted, last year's team was inexperienced. That's not so much the case this year, especially with Heisman Trophy candidate and quarterback C.J. Stroud entering his second season as the starter.

"The expectations don't change year in and year out at Ohio State. We all know that. So is it different this year? No. The team is different, though. We have more experience than we had last year. We have a veteran quarterback coming back, a lot more guys on defense who are veterans, and a new scheme on defense."

The Buckeyes will open the 2022 season against Notre Dame on Sept. 3.

They will enter the season as the unanimous Big Ten favorites. They are also the No. 2 team in the country behind Alabama in numerous preseason rankings, including lists from Phil Steele, Wayne Staats of NCAA.com and ESPN's college football power index.

The offense was tremendous last year, averaging an FBS high of 45.7 points per game. The defense was hit or miss and finished 38th in points allowed (22.8 per game).

The run defense notably struggled in the team's two losses against Oregon (35-28) and Michigan (42-27), with the Ducks' CJ Verdell (195 total yards, three touchdowns) and Michigan's Hassan Haskins (169 rushing yards, five scores) going off.

Changes were made on that side of the ball, though, as Jim Knowles left Oklahoma State to become the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ohio State. The Cowboys allowed the fifth-fewest yards per run (2.7) last year.

Ohio State has a track record of excellence and over the past two decades has reached five national title games, winning two. OSU also hasn't lost more than two games in any of the past 10 seasons.

This year's team looks like it'll be in the thick of the national title race as usual, and it very well could leave the scars from last year behind en route to a better season.

Compared to the cost of running an NFL team, Ohio State football might be a bargain.

According to Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told local businesspeople in Columbus that $13 million in name, image and likeness deals might be the cost for the program to retain the players on its roster.

It's not just that the NIL era has put a price tag on the best high school recruits in the country. The one-time transfer rule means schools also have to placate their top stars.

Using Day's valuation, Lesmerises speculated OSU looking for an average of $500,000 for its 26 best players or some calculation to that degree.

Per Lesmerises, Day also told the local business leaders how $2 million might be the going rate for an elite quarterback, while top-tier offensive tackles and edge-rushers could command $1 million.

In general, Day pressed the need for Ohio State to balance its NIL priorities.

"If the speed limit’s 45 mph, and you drive 45 mph, a lot of people are going to pass you by,” he said. “If you go too fast, you’re going to get pulled over."

While he specifically targeted a conference rival in the process, this was the basic subtext Nick Saban wanted to get across when he said Texas A&M "bought every player on their team."

The Alabama head coach had a similar audience (local businesspeople) when he made those remarks and was clearly trying to express how important NIL money will be.

"We didn't buy one player, all right?" Saban said to the group. "But I don't know if we're gonna be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It's tough."

Because the full details of NIL deals aren't disclosed, it's difficult to know how accurate Day's projection is. Lesmerises noted the $13 million figure goes beyond what's raised by the collectives specific to OSU football.

The NIL landscape still resembles the Wild West a bit as all of the parties adjust to the new normal. For Day and his peers, getting a level of buy-in from the booster base has never been more important.

Ohio State announced Wednesday it agreed to a two-year extension through 2028 with football coach Ryan Day.

The deal will see Day's overall compensation rise from $7.6 million to $9.5 million per season. His base salary will be set at $2 million.

Following the 2021 season, Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly were both paid handsomely to leave Oklahoma and Notre Dame, respectively. And within Day's own conference, Mel Tucker (10 years, $95 million) and James Franklin (10 years, $75 million) got new deals to ward off any suitors.

A pay raise for Day was inevitable, as his old salary constituted a bargain in this market.

Handily losing to Michigan and missing the College Football Playoff put a damper on Ohio State's 2021 season, but the year still ended with a Rose Bowl victory over Utah. 

Day has also kept the Buckeyes at the heights they enjoyed under his predecessor, Urban Meyer. They're 31-4 in his three full seasons as head coach—he went 3-0 while Meyer was suspended and ultimately retired in 2018.

In the wake of falling short of lofty expectations, OSU turned over its coaching staff, most notably poaching Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State to serve as defensive coordinator. The Athletic's Bill Landis noted 1994 was the last time the Buckeyes hired four new assistants without also changing the head coach.

Still, there was no question as to the university's commitment.

And while it's difficult to envision Day would leave for another school, the NFL could be a very real threat. The 43-year-old served on the staffs of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers prior to joining Ohio State in 2017.

For now, any speculation linking Day with a new job will be put to bed.