Ohio State and Ryan Day’s National Title Doubters Silenced with Win over Penn State

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For the first in a long time, Ryan Day smiled. If we’re being honest, it was a bit weird.

Well, maybe more unexpected.

Given all the emotions that have hovered around his tenure—the many wins, the painful losses and the enormous, mounting pressure to win a Big Ten Championship and a national championship—it was an unexpected sight.

That burden to deliver, at least momentarily, was set aside. The demands from an anxious fanbase in desperate need of better results, as unreasonable as those demands might feel sometimes, were momentarily met.

As Day answered questions in the afterglow of Ohio State’s 20-13 win over Penn State that was ugly at times but undeniably enormous, the endless pursuit of excellence for a program that will settle for nothing less took a much-needed breath.

For the Buckeyes, this means everything. In less than three months, Ohio State has played games at Oregon and Penn State, two of the more hostile places to play a football game nationwide.

Given how those two teams have played leading into Week 10, one could argue no team has had a journey quite like this.

By Monday morning, the breath will be done. The pressure will return. Day will be expected to win every single football game remaining. Anything less will likely have many questioning whether he should be allowed to do it again.

Sure, that’s the reality. But given what Ohio State showcased on Saturday, there’s no reason to believe it can’t be done.

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To be clear, Saturday’s performance was by no means dominant. Quarterback Will Howard delivered plenty of impressive moments, although he also missed a handful of key throws and handed Penn State two key turnovers.

Howard’s performance will likely have the ultimate say on Ohio State’s 2024 season. He’s that capable and that important.

As such, he will also be judged differently than the rest of the team, although that group showcased enough on Saturday to give hope moving forward.

An offensive line that has been banged up delivered, arguably, its most complete effort, allowing the team’s star running backs—Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson—to pick up huge chunks of yards.

The complement of wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, who both flashed against the Nittany Lions, make this offense a puzzling one to solve. For as well as Penn State played defensively for much of the day, Ohio State, despite leaving points on the field, showcased moments of dominance.

Defensively, this looked like the unit we expected to see. The defensive line provided constant pressure, and the secondary blanketed the Nittany Lions’ wideouts.

All told, Ohio State’s defense allowed just 270 yards, playing in one of the nation’s toughest environments.

For as good as Day’s team was, this game will largely be remembered for a slew of bizarre plays and questionable calls. But it could also serve as the turning point for a team that came into the year as a popular pick to win every single game.

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A hard-fought loss to Oregon in Eugene derailed that notion. The following game, OSU struggled mightily at home against a Nebraska team it shouldn’t struggle against. Doubt crept back in.

This outcome, however, changes the complexion of Ohio State’s season and outlook. The Buckeyes now own one of the best wins (and losses) of any team in college football. And for as difficult as the path has been, it does get somewhat easier.

Three of the team’s final four games will be played in Columbus, and the next two will be played against Purdue and Northwestern.

The final two games will be played against Indiana and Michigan, which could present unique challenges. Since both games will be played at home, Ohio State will likely be a sizable favorite in both.

For a team that took an odd path to this particular moment in time, everything is still in front of it. And with the first College Football Playoff rankings set to be released on Tuesday, Ohio State won’t be far from the top.

The roster that was constructed through NIL and recruiting this offseason is still overflowing with talent. The offense, despite not truly firing on all cylinders yet, has shown glimpses of figuring it out. The defense, the unsung hero on a team with so many offensive pieces, is among the best in college football.

Everything we thought we would be saying about Ohio State after 10 weeks of college football can still be said today.

What happens from this point forward, of course, will likely determine Day’s fate in Columbus. There were finally reasons to smile after Saturday, even if they will be short lived.

Months from now, there could be plenty more to come.