It had been a mentally tough 45 minutes for Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes as the fourth quarter was about to start. Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes were just one quarter of football away from arguably their biggest win of the last decade. Amid all that, Ryan Day was catching a lot of heat for some very questionable decisions he had made so far in this game and throughout the month.

The Miami Hurricanes were literally playing their 2003-level football. The Hurricanes’ front seven had allowed just -3 rushing yards in the entire first half and had already recorded four sacks. Word on the street was that this was Ohio State’s worst rushing performance since 2005.

Mario Cristobal’s team was up 17–7 heading into the last quarter of the Cotton Bowl. Miami was making it extremely difficult for Ohio State to mount any kind of offensive comeback.

Meanwhile, Buckeye Nation was blasting Ryan Day for two main reasons:

1) Taking the play-calling duty away from Brian Hartline

One central point of criticism was Day’s decision to assume offensive play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Brian Hartline for this game. The Ohio State head honcho play-calling has not gotten the results the fans wanted.

The offense looked out of sorts and couldn’t even score a single point in the first half. Something that hasn’t happened to the Buckeyes since the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. Fans and analysts are questioning whether that was the right move, given the stakes.

2) Jayden Fielding

The kicking game was also part of the reason for the Buckeyes’ downfall. Ryan Day is paying the price for sticking with kicker Jayden Fielding after he missed a critical 27-yard field goal in the Big Ten Championship game against Indiana. To make matters even worse, Fielding missed a 49-yard field goal attempt just before halftime.

Fans on X were questioning Day’s performance as a play caller and decision-maker.

Ryan Day put on the X court for his decision

The fans started with the obvious. Jayden Fielding: “Gotta blame Ryan Day for not investing in a f—— kicker. Their kicker can hit 49-yarders. We cannot. Laughable.”

At this point, you need to question Ryan Day. Jayden Fielding has been missing key field goals for some time now. Twice in the Michigan 2024 game. The Indiana game. And now this. Ryan Day has failed to bring in a solid kicker through the portal, and it’s coming back to haunt him.

Another fan questioned Ryan Day’s play-calling: “I think Ryan Day calling the plays is a big mistake. He ain’t been doing it.”

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Ryan Day’s play-calling tonight has been a total disaster. Absolute mimesis of his 2023 Cotton Bowl play-calling. He’s still having a hard time figuring out Miami’s front seven, and the Buckeyes are struggling to find any rhythm on offense.

Another fan echoed the same frustration: “Ryan Day is such a joke for taking play-calling duties away from Brian Hartline.”

Despite having Brian Hartline on the sidelines, Ryan Day’s insistence on calling the plays is as confusing as it gets. Ohio State managed only around 160 yards in the first half, which pretty much says it all.

One fan doubled down on the issue: “Fire whoever thought it was smart to have Ryan Day play call in game number 14 when Brian Hartline has called 12 wins.”

The Buckeyes were heavy favorites heading into this game. It’s a shame that Ryan Day’s play-calling is now the main reason they’re ending their season on New Year’s Eve.

Another fan summed it up perfectly: “Brian Hartline said, ‘Ryan Day, you wanna call plays, huh? Go ahead.’”

It’s going to be one awkward conversation in the locker room after this one.