Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday night, falling in the Big Ten championship game to the Indiana Hoosiers by a final score of 13-10.
In a hotly-contest game with both defenses stealing the show, the Buckeyes simply didn’t have enough. Losing the game will eliminate Ohio State from holding the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. However, the Buckeyes are going to be in the playoff and will have a chance to make a run at a second straight national title.
Losing to Indiana isn’t something for Ohio State to hang its head about. Curt Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers into a very legitimate national championship contender. It’s possible that these two teams could play again in the playoff.
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With that being said, the Buckeyes made too many mistakes throughout the game. One of those mistakes was a crucial turnover on downs.
That moment occurred with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter. Ohio State had the football at the Indiana five yard-line, but Julian Sayin was stopped on a quarterback sneak. Day and the Buckeyes could have kicked a field goal, which would have tied the game.
Unfortunately for Ohio State, hindsight is always 20/20. Being aggressive at the time seemed to be the right decision for Day.
Following the loss, Day was asked about that play. He admitted that he regretted not kicking the field goal after seeing how Sayin’s quarterback sneak unfolded.
“When it doesn’t work, I always regret it,” Day said. “That’s how life works.”
Later in the game, the Buckeyes had another chance to tie things up. At the 2:48 mark in the fourth quarter, Jayden Fielding missed an easy 27-yard field goal. That was the beginning of the end for Ohio State.
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While the loss is difficult to swallow, the Buckeyes have been here before. Just last season, Ohio State lost the final game of the regular season to Michigan before rebounding and winning a national championship. Day and company will look to do the same this season.
It will be interesting to see what the committee decides to do from a seeding perspective for the Buckeyes. At the very worst, Ohio State could come in at No. 3, but it seems much more likely that they will land at No. 2 behind Indiana.
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