Ohio State entered Saturday’s showdown at Texas as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll, but a historic fourth-quarter collapse immediately put Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Barstool Sports founder and renowned Michigan supporter Dave Portnoy unloaded on Day after Ohio State squandered a 23-3 lead in a 24-23 loss to the Longhorns.
In losing to Texas, Ohio State became the first No. 1 team to blow a 20-point fourth-quarter lead. Texas scored 21 unanswered points, with the winning touchdown coming with 25 seconds remaining.
Portnoy accused the Buckeyes coach of failing once again in a marquee moment, saying, “It’s born on third base Ryan Day doing what Ryan Day does, not being able to put a team away.”
Portnoy also called Day “the luckiest guy in the history of the earth” and labeled Saturday’s loss an “absolutely disgusting, embarrassing performance.”
The Barstool Sports leader acknowledged the talent Day has had at Ohio State throughout his tenure there, but made it clear that, in his eyes, Day’s teams have repeatedly underperformed in the biggest situations.
“I could coach this Ohio State team to a 100-win season with the talent they have,” Portnoy said. “This guy is one of the worst big game coaches in the history of the world.
Day owns an 83-13 record at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes to a national championship two seasons ago. Portnoy, however, viewed the Texas collapse as another example of the criticism that has followed Day during his tenure.
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Meanwhile, Day acknowledged afterward that Ohio State failed to finish Texas after controlling the first three quarters.
“To blow a 20-point lead like they did?” Portnoy said. “One of the great chokes of all time.”
The loss dropped the Buckeyes from No. 1 to No. 6 in the AP poll, while Texas moved to No. 1. Ohio State will try to rebound at home against Kent State on Saturday at Noon ET.
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