How did Ohio State's Ryan Day explain lopsided loss to Oregon?

Ohio State football lost to Oregon 48-21 at Ohio Stadium on Nov. 7, and the loss probably will cost the Buckeyes a shot at playing in the College Football Playoff or the Big Ten championship game. Combined with last week's defeat at USC, it also marks the first time that OSU has lost back-to-back games since 2011. So how did Ohio State coach Ryan Day explain it? Here are all of his postgame comments. Ryan Day Postgame Press Conference Ohio State vs. Oregon Q: Ryan, you guys obviously went a long stretch there in the second and third quarter where things were in trouble offensively. What was the trouble there with getting Jeremiah [Smith] the ball and getting things going, where things kind of fell apart there? Ryan Day: Well, I think really where the game changed, anyone could see where the game changed, was we lost those two possessions there in the second quarter. They hit the fake punt on us, which is extremely disappointing on our end. Then in that two-minute drill with Luke [Fahey], we decided to be aggressive with it. In hindsight, we probably should have run the ball there and gotten out of the half and into the third quarter. To me, that was a huge turning point in the game. Coming out in the third quarter there, we had the snap go over Luke's head and then weren't able to convert on some of those two fourth-and-2 situations and then the one backed up. We got no rhythm on offense. To me, that put the defense in some tough situations. Q: You've emphasized things all year going into the week, and in your three losses, it kind of seems like your team, coaching staff, or all of it has failed to meet that message. Why do you think that hasn't clicked in those losses and maybe needs to be evaluated? Ryan Day: Yeah, I think we have to evaluate everything. The things we felt like we needed to do in this game, particularly on offense, were not met, like you said. Trying to figure out how to move the ball down the field with a freshman quarterback and how that all works is something that we're all working hard to get done, but haven't been able to get done. On defense, we've given up some explosive plays. We put them in a tough spot a few times. I thought getting off the field there before the fake punt would have been a huge stop and [would have allowed] us to get the ball on offense and eat up some more clock there in the second quarter, but it didn't happen. I've got to evaluate everything, come in tomorrow, and figure out with the staff the things we're coming up short on and figure out how to adjust those things. It all starts with the staff and then goes to the players. There needs to be accountability for all of it. Q: Thirty-eight straight points:  That hadn't happened to an Ohio State team since 1999. Did you have any inkling something like that could happen? You also talked this week about leadership. Was it a failure of leadership? Where is leadership on this team? Ryan Day: No, I didn’t. We didn't expect any of this to happen. I thought the way we came out was how we thought we would play in this game. Once the momentum swung, we weren't able to stop that and swing it [back]. I talk all the time about momentum. If you have it, you've got to keep it. If you don't, you've got to go get it, and you do that by making one play. We weren't able to do that. I'm not going to sit here and point fingers at one group because we're all coming up short. It starts with looking yourself in the mirror and figuring out what is going wrong here. Two weeks in a row to get this type of result, there's just … there’s something that needs to change and get fixed. We've got to look at all those things and figure out what that is, knowing we do have a young quarterback here and how that plays into everything that we're doing. Q: This offseason you talked a lot about getting old in the portal. You had experienced coaches and coordinators. But it seems like this year when something goes bad, it snowballs. Texas, USC, and obviously today. Why do you think that is? Ryan Day: If I was out there and saw guys not giving effort and didn’t have a good look in their eye, I don't think that's the case. But we're not able to make that play to stop it and change it. On offense, it's really about finding ourselves, getting into a rhythm. I think, [that’s been] two games in a row, there's just really been no rhythm on offense – positive runs, completions. You connect on some of third downs and you keep things moving. We were able to do that on the first couple drives, and that was good. But other than that, there's really been no rhythm. We haven't been able to sustain anything. There have just been too many mistakes. And that’s led to a lot of it. If you combine that with the last couple games on defense, the number of explosive plays has really hurt us. That is ultimately from where I am right now, just evaluating it from right here, because obviously I’ve got to go back and continue to look at. But that's how I feel right now, those things have not gotten fixed. Q: You have two experienced coordinators, a new special teams coach, and you're an experienced coach. Thinking about their fake punt and the play on the last play of the first half, where do you and your staff bring a strategic or schematic advantage to your team to try to win in the margins with things like that? Ryan Day: You've got to give credit where it's due. I thought they did some good things there. It is. It is our job to figure out how we can put our guys in position to be successful, and creativity is one of them. I can't sit here coming out of these last two games and say we've done a good enough job in those areas. Q: When you were preparing this week and looked at the defense, you always talk about scheme, coaching, and personnel. Which of those did you think was hampering the defense the most? Which did you think, first blush tonight, was the issue? Ryan Day: Probably all three. Yeah. But, again, sometimes you come off the field and you're emotional about what you say, and then you get on the film and realize maybe it's a little different than your perception when you walk off the field. So, before I dive into that, I'd like to step away for a quick second and then look at the film and figure out exactly where the focus in those three areas needs to be put. Q: This is the first time you've had three losses in a season. You've talked about the expectations here. It's kind of looking like a playoff or Big Ten championship are probably long shots at this point. Where do you guys go from here? Ryan Day: Not someplace we thought we'd be. Beyond disappointed. We understand what the expectations are. It's the like first thing when you walk into the Woody, you join our program, you understand what the expectations are. The expectation is to win every game here. To lose three games is unacceptable, and I own that. That's never going to change from my point of view. It doesn't matter what the situation is. It doesn’t matter what the scenario is. That's just what it is. I just told the team in the locker room that now we've got to weather this storm. It'll be a storm here, something none of us are used to at Ohio State. We're going to come together tomorrow, we’ll have a team meeting and we’ll figure out what's next. Q: Luke's a young guy. Are you happy with how you've brought him along during these few weeks? What can you do differently? What needs to change? Cause it looks a little spotty. Ryan Day: It's spotty, yeah. I think the kid's trying his tail off. It's a tough spot to be in for a true freshman, but, again, the expectation is to come in and play and win. Again, I still think we've put him in some tough spots. My feeling right now is that we got to do a better job of not putting him in those situations. That’s two games in a row that he's out there battling. He missed throws and made some mistakes, for sure. But that's his second start ever against, you know, a really good team. That team right there has as much talent as there is in the country. If we're not going to run the ball consistently, give him easier throws and put him in better situations, then things like this can come up. I feel like we know how to bring a young guy along, but these last couple games have been frustrating, for sure. Ultimately, it comes back on us, the people surrounding him. I think he's trying like heck.