In what was by far the most confusing, befuddling, and frustrating loss of the Ryan Day era, the Ohio State offense managed only 10 points against an unremarkable Michigan team in 2024. As a result, the Buckeyes dropped their fourth straight to The Team Up North. It’s the one game you cannot lose as a player or coach, and Day has struggled.
In the fallout, it has been reported that Day held a meeting with the players, allowing them to air out their grievances. As a result of the Buckeye Festivus, Ohio State went on a commanding four-game run, beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, to secure the program’s ninth national title.
With each passing win, that loss to Michigan became increasingly confusing. How could a team that averaged over 36 points and 447 yards over a four-game College Football Playoff run be held to 10 points and 252 yards? Pride. Day’s game plan was to beat Michigan the Michigan way. Somehow, in the pregame meetings, running the ball up the gut at the two first-round defensive tackles was the right idea. When he threw it, it went well. When he ran it, well, nothing happened. “Whoever wins the rushing battle wins The Game.”
After Buckeye Festivus, as reported by Bill Rabinowitz in his book “Buckeye Brotherhood,” Day was called out by his players for this mentality.
Now, 364 days later, the question will be asked, “Did Day learn anything?”
Has Ryan Day and the Ohio State Offense Learned From Last Year?
Circumstances Beget Change
This year’s Michigan defense isn’t as elite against the run as it was last year. Having said that, going from allowing 90.7 yards per game on the ground to 94 isn’t much of a drop. Last year’s Ohio State offense had two top-tier running backs. This year? Not so much. Bo Jackson has been great to this point. In 10 games, he has amassed 835 yards and five touchdowns at 6,5 yards per carry. However, he’s not TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins just yet.
The Buckeye rushing attack hasn’t been quite what it’s supposed to be this year. There have been glimmers – like when Jackson sees the hole on the left side of the line for a chunk play – but, overall, it hasn’t been good enough to lean on.
If Ohio State tries to run the ball down Michigan’s throat, it’s not going to work. USC gashed the Wolverines for 224 yards and two touchdowns thanks to a breakout from King Miller. Could Jackson replicate that? It’s possible, but not probable.
Feed Your Athletes
One big reason why USC had so much success on the ground was that Jayden Maiava and Makai Lemon were able to pick apart the defense through the air. USC had better offensive athletes than Michigan had on defense. You think Ohio State might be similar?
The question leading into this game will be whether or not Carnell Tate or Jeremiah Smith will be healthy for the game. Smith claims he’s “good to go,” so we shall see. Day has been incredibly mum about their injury situations.
The thing about the Ohio State offense is that it’s efficient. It’s slow, methodical, NFL-like, even, but it’s efficient. Michigan’s secondary can be pushed to its limit if it has to sell out to stop Julian Sayin and his weapons. Sayin is a better quarterback than Maiava, so it stands to reason that he could have a good day to pick apart the Wolverines. Will he get the chance?
How efficient is Ohio States offense?
They have ran 695 total plays on offense this season….
They have gotten a 1st Down or Scored on 326 of those plays….
47% of OSU plays have resulted in either a 1st down or score.
FORTY SEVEN PERCENT!!!!
— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) November 25, 2025
Michigan is not built to come from behind. If Ohio State feeds Tate, Smith, and even Max Klare, it can get up early. Then, Day can trust the defense to keep Bryce Underwood under control in the passing game on the other side.
Ohio State’s pace of play is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can throttle opponents like a boa constrictor, squeezing the life out of them by dominating the time-of-possession battle. On the other hand, if the Buckeyes don’t score or even go three-and-out, it looms large. The good news is that the Ohio State defense is elite, so coming away empty isn’t the end of the world.
Time Will Tell
Last year, the game plan was awful. Urban Meyer didn’t care about beating Michigan at its own game; he overwhelmed the Wolverines, and the run game followed behind. Four of Meyer’s seven wins over Michigan were by multiple scores. The Buckeyes had better athletes, and he exploited that, regardless of how good Michigan’s Don Brown-led defense was.
Wink Martindale has the Wolverines’ defense humming again, but there are exploitable cracks.
By getting the ball to the boundary and not playing into Michigan’s strengths as a matter of pride, Day can get the monkey off his back. Last year, Smith was held in check alongside Tate and Emeka Egbuka. Of course, there was a feeling that Will Howard was playing concussed. Regardless, he swore that he’d never lose to Michigan again.
Day said in his game-week presser that, “Winning is kicking a**.” Between Day’s comments and Smith’s, the Buckeyes need to play to their level of talent. Otherwise, it’s all just words.
Time will tell if the Buckeyes are back to being mentally tougher than Michigan.
How To Watch:
Date and Time: Saturday, Nov. 29th | 11:00 a.m. CST
Location:Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Television: Fox
Main Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
