COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State head coach Ryan Day discussed the team's offensive mishaps and squandered opportunities after suffering a 13-10 loss to Michigan on Saturday.
"I think each game is a little bit different and unique to itself, but the results are the results. As hard as that is to say, we came up short again here today and not easy to swallow at all," Day told the media after the game.
One of the areas where the Buckeyes struggled the most was the run game. When asked why he and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly didn't choose to throw the ball more, Day said they couldn't "just abandon the run."
"You have to be able to control the ball," he said. "I thought we had a good plan in the pass game going in, but ultimately it wasn't good enough to execute it."
Quarterback Will Howard had his lowest-performing game of the season, completing just 19 of his 33 passes (57.6%) and throwing two interceptions. Despite the struggle, Day acknowledged the "fine line" that Howard has to handle in his position.
"There's a fine line of trying to make plays and win the game, but also being smart enough to take care of the ball. That's the balance of playing quarterback. I think we all know Will gave everything he possibly had today."
In more than one instance, the Buckeyes squandered scoring opportunities; whether it was missing field goals or interceptions in the red zone.
"There were times we tried to push the ball into the endzone but ultimately you can't just force that, you gotta be smart in what you're doing," Day said. "When you don't have balance and you can't run and throw the ball when you need to, this is what happens."
Those missed opportunities are ultimately what led to the Buckeyes' downfall.
"You miss opportunities like those two field goals, it's gonna cost you a game like this. Every yard matters. Every point matters and it didn't get done."