Ryan Day Says OSU Should've Let Texas Score, Explains Decision After Arch Manning's Comeback Win

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said the decision to try to stop Texas at the goal line during the final minute of Saturday 24-23 loss rather than allowing the Longhorns to score—giving Ohio State time to drive for a potential game-winning field goal—ultimately proved to be the wrong call.

"It didn't work, so the answer is yes," he told reporters when asked if going for the goal-line stop was a mistake. "If we win the game, then it would have been the right decision. In the moment you've got to make a hard decision, and I decided to try to hold the line. There's a lot that comes with that, just saying, 'Hey, let them score right there.' As the head coach of the team I decided to make that call and ultimately would have loved to see what it would have looked like if they scored."

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Texas had the ball at Ohio State's one-yard line with 55 seconds remaining. After stopping the Longhorns once, Day called timeout. Hollywood Smothers then fumbled on the next play but Texas recovered it. The Longhorns let the clock run before Smothers scored on the next play, leaving just 25 seconds left in the game.

On the ensuing possession Julian Sayin threw an interception, ending the game.

Part of the calculus for Day may have been that kicker Connor Hawkins had missed a 45-yard field goal on the drive before Texas' game-winning touchdown, though he did make his other three attempts (including one from 48 yards). It also wasn't a guarantee that Ohio State—which had only managed three points in the second half while blowing a 20-3 lead—would have driven into field-goal range if they had let Texas score.

Hindsight is 20-20, as the old cliché goes. In this case, Day's decision didn't work in Ohio State's favor.