Well, that wasn’t pretty, in fact it was downright ugly in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. It was always going to be an uphill battle with Kyle McCord entering the transfer portal, but then when Devin Brown went down with an injury early in the game against Missouri, it made things even more difficult.
What we witnessed was a game in which Ohio State couldn’t get anything going on offense, and a defense that played its tail off but wore down toward the end of the game. The result will go down as one of the most lackluster bowl losses in OSU history, 14-3.
All of Buckeye Nation wanted answers after the game, and we took some time to sleep on it and take stock of what in the world went wrong on Friday night. But hey, contrary to what you might have been led to believe, there isn’t actually asteroid bearing down on Columbus to wipe out the Ohio State program as we know it.
While it would be easy to pile on (there’s been plenty of that), this reflection will probably be a little softer than other ones your reading, or even what’s going through your own collective thoughts.
Here are five somewhat levelheaded things I think I know after watching what unfolded in Dallas against Missouri.
This type of effort will never work at Ohio State
Best Helmet in College Football. pic.twitter.com/LlIxrCKYAp
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) December 30, 2023
What I think I know
Everyone wants to pile on with how poor of a showing this was, and I get it. This kind of effort won’t ever work at a place like Ohio State, and that’s what everyone — from the players to the coaches — signed up for. You simply can’t lose, and when you do, there are bills to pay to the media and fans.
And yeah, Ryan Day, the players, and the staff are all receiving invoices now. It’s going to be another long offseason after already enduring a long one after the two-straight losses to end the year in 2022.
Nobody wants to hear excuses (I’ll get into that in a moment) in Columbus, and even if they are valid, it’s a non-starter through Scarlet and Gray colored lenses. All Day and gang can do is get back to work and not pile on like seemingly everyone else is.
Credit has to at least be given to Missouri
The Missouri Tigers – your 2023 Cotton Bowl Champs pic.twitter.com/tvgsnOatth
— CFB Home (@CFBHome) December 30, 2023
What I think I know
It’s the same every time Ohio State loses a game. There are fingers being pointed at the team and blame to go around. If you haven’t heard it hear before, then let me say it now. Sometimes the other team is just better on a given day.
In this one, Missouri’s defense played toe-to-toe with a really good Ohio State one and it should be commended for that. The Tigers lost just two games, to Georgia and LSU so there’s talent there that had to be dealt with.
The Tigers kept plugging away and were able to make the most of a difficult quarterback situation OSU was put in and good on them and the coaching staff for taking advantage and not overthinking things.
You have to at least acknowledge the quarterback in the room
Despite tying Ohio State's bowl record in sacks, Jack Sawyer said that doesn't matter to him.
Instead, he gave credit to Lincoln Kienholz for stepping up when Devin Brown went down. pic.twitter.com/nrinh9GJg6
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 30, 2023
What I think I know
Speaking of the quarterback situation for Ohio State, nobody wants to use it as an excuse in the media or otherwise. But it’s real.
Yes, we saw other “backup” quarterbacks have great days in some other bowls, but how many of them were freshmen that came in during this past summer? Who knows how this game would have turned out if Devin Brown stayed healthy all game, but it was always going to be hard to do much against a defense that knew it could just keep bringing pressure against a true freshman who is still learning on the fly?
Even Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz acknowledged the tough spot Ohio State was put in by having to use Lincoln Keinholz.
This game means little in the grand scheme of things
Ryan Day on building momentum going into next year, but that was not the case as Ohio State fell short to Missouri 14-3. pic.twitter.com/Rfr5Butt45
— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) December 30, 2023
What I think I know
Despite the poor showing, handwringing, teeth-gnashing and trolling of the team from Ohio State fans, this loss means little in the grand scheme of things. Yes, you always want to win every game, but lets’ take this all in perspective in today’s day and age.
Sure, it would have been nice to end things on a high note and head into the offseason with some momentum, but there’s already a very, very good recruiting class signed to come in for 2024, and if the sentiment and rumors are true, the Buckeyes could have more NFL eligible players coming back than what originally thought.
The Michigan game meant a ton the last three years. Losing to Georgia in the CFP last season meant much more than Friday night. This won’t be a program defining result.
No, it's not time to fire Ray Day
If you’re an Ohio State fan and you want to fire Ryan Day, please check yourself. He’s 56-8 as a HC. He’s played for a NC. Who are you gonna get besides him? Who’s better? Who has a better offensive mind?
— Michael (@Joesportscaller) December 30, 2023
What I think I know
Now is not the time to call for Ryan Day’s firing. Yes, losing to Michigan three-straight years is never going to cut it, but that trend is unlikely to hold. If you want to have a knee-jerk reaction and cut a guy that’s got an almost .900 winning percentage, has been to three College Football Playoffs, and continues to recruit among the best in the country, then there’s something wrong with your big picture look.
Yes, we all want every game to be a victory, but that’s not going to happen. Unfortunately the losses have come in the biggest of games over the last three years, but Day has shown the willingness to look at things and make changes where he believes they need to be made.
There’s still a lot good going on with this program even if it’s hard to see because of the fresh disappointment. Day is extremely competitive, has adopted Ohio as his own and will work as hard as he can to get this program back on top.
And remember, there are other good teams out there as well.
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