COLUMBUS — Every Friday (sorry, it was Saturday this week) we’ll bring you a quick-hit look at the game ahead for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Northwestern (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) at No. 20 Ohio State (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten)

Kickoff: Noon

Network: Fox

Announcers: Connor Onion, Robert Griffin III, Alexa Landestoy

History: The Buckeyes lead the series 66-14-1 and have won 35 of the last 36. Northwestern’s last win in Columbus was in 1971. Northwestern’s last win overall in the series was in 2004.

Info: Ohio State game notes & Northwestern game notes

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Game trailer

Buckeye I’ll be watching Saturday

WR Jeremiah Smith: This feels like one of those situations where there were so many questions about Smith not getting the ball last week that he’ll get it at least 10 times against Northwestern. Of course, we’re watching him every game, but I’m specifically interested in how Ohio State gets him the ball. This can no longer be a situation where the connection between Smith and Luke Fahey comes via downfield passing. The offensive staff needs to manufacture touches for Smith. I think they will. — Bill

C Carson Hinzman: Starting left guard Luke Montgomery was listed as doubtful on the Friday night injury report. Right tackle Phillip Daniels was listed as questionable. Left tackle Ian Moore sat out last week. Right guard has been back and forth between Gabe Van Sickle and Jake Cook lately Austin Siereveld has started at three different positions. If Montgomery can’t go Saturday, Hinzman will be the only offensive lineman to start every game this season.

Ryan Day said this week the offensive line needs to be more consistent. It’s hard to be consistent with guys moving in and out of the lineup, but this group hasn’t been anywhere close to the level expected and needed. Hinzman had a crucial bad snap on a third down last week, he’s acknowledged working through communication issues with new quarterback Luke Fahey, and he honestly seemed a little down when meeting with reporters this week.

“It breaks my heart, and a lot of stuff, we’re so close on so many things, it just hurts,” Hinzman said. “And that comes from me. It comes from everyone. We need to be better and I need to be better as a leader. I need to be better as a player.” — Doug

One thing I want Ohio State to do Saturday

Scrap the five-man defensive front, play more four-down, and let the defensive line actually rush. I don’t think OSU has secretly had awesome pass rushers this year, but I think there’s a little more to milk out of this defensive front if Matt Patricia goes back to basics up front and lets those guys actually try to get after the passer. Playing some tighter coverage will help the rush, too, and I’m expecting that. OSU needs to get pressure in this game. — Bill

Run a trick play. Is that a little on the nose, given the questions we’ve asked about creativity and winning on the margins? Maybe. Would it be an overreaction to firing special teams coach Robby Discher? Maybe. Would it work? Maybe not.

But I’d take it as some sign of life, and I think maybe you would, too. — Doug

Another game to watch with Ohio State in mind

USC at Indiana, 3:30, CBS: You want the Trojans to win if you care about Ohio State’s slim chances of still making the Big Ten Championship. Step one in that process is the Hoosiers taking a second conference loss, and this is the best chance of that happening. — Bill

Stat to know

Ohio State has 11 sacks on the season, which is tied for 120th in the nation. The Buckeyes had nine in their first five games, and they have just two in their last four games. Of the 68 teams in the Power 4, only Texas A&M and Stanford have fewer.

There are 178 FBS football players with at least three sacks. One of them is a Buckeye — Kenyatta Jackson. — Doug

Uniform Look

Field Look

Band Plan

Lines

Ohio State -13.5

Over-under 44.5

Picks

Bill: Ohio State 30-20

Doug: Ohio State 30-21

On the season

Bill: 7-2 straight up, 5-4 spread, 5-4 over-under

Doug: 8-1 straight up, 4-5 spread, 5-4 over-under

Your vote

Ohio State will win by 14 points more: 38 percent

Ohio State will win by 13 points or fewer: 57 percent

Northwestern will win: 5 percent

Combined score of 45 points or more: 37 percent

Combined score of 44 points or fewer: 63 percent

Tracking network and kickoff times for the season

Network

Fox: 4

BTN: 2

CBS: 2

ABC: 1

NBC: 1

Announcers

Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt: 3

Brad Nessler, Charles Davis: 2

Connor Onion, Robert Griffin III: 1

Jeff Levering, Jake Butt: 1

Mark Followill, Jake Butt: 1

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit: 1

Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge: 1

Kickoff time

Noon: 4

12:30: 1

3:30: 2

4:15: 1

7:30: 2

Also

• This game wasn’t affected by the FAA ground stop of flights on Friday because Northwestern had already arrived in Columbus. And the Big Ten announced none of its officiating crews were affected by the travel disruption.

• Ohio State launched its award campaign for Jeremiah Smith this week, after Bill noted seeing a box with JJ4ItAll on it last week. You can check out the website here.

• Northwestern is one of five teams in the 138 teams of FBS football to throw only one interception this season. The only team to throw no interceptions? Brian Hartline’s South Florida team. Ohio State has thrown eight interceptions.

• Ohio State’s offense is 45th in the nation, scoring touchdowns on 65.9 percent of red-zone trips. Northwestern’s defense is 17th, allowing touchdowns on 45.9 percent of red-zone trips.

• Northwestern running back Joseph Himon leads the Big Ten by averaging 8.4 rushing yards per carry.

COLUMBUS — Ten thoughts on Ohio State and college football.

1. When Robert Fitzgerald twisted Jeremiah Smith’s ankle at the end of a 68-yard catch-and-run by the true freshman two seasons ago, both players were still fairly new to the Big Ten footnall scene.

   Smith, as a true freshman and five-star recruit, finished off what was then the longest play of his Big Ten career, catching a crosser in the middle of the field from Will Howard and racing down the right sideline. Fitzgerald, then in his third season with the Wildcats, was a former backup then making his third career start as he trailed the play and finally helped track down Smith.

   As Fitzgerald grabbed Smith around the lower legs, he leaned his body back and twisted Smith’s ankle. Intent? Can’t know. Result? Smith limped off the field and had to get his ankle wrapped before he returned. Outcome? Ryan Day said the next week that the play had been sent to the Big Ten office for review and the conference had come back and said Fitzgerald should have been called for a 15-yard personal foul on the play.

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On Betting the Buckeyes, Tyler Shoemaker and I talked about some angles to Ohio State vs. Northwestern, with the Buckeyes favored by 13.5 points. We also talked a bit about Indiana-USC, a game that matters to Ohio State’s tiebreaker hopes of making the Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes need Indiana to take a second conference loss at some point in the next three weeks.

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COLUMBUS — It’s mostly coincidental, maybe a bit poetic, that these moments for Ryan Day have all happened after a loss to Oregon.

In 2021, 2024, and now 2026, an Ohio State loss to the Ducks has left Day at a crossroads with his defensive coordinator. Kerry Coombs got demoted, Jim Knowles got “re-engineered,” and now it’s Matt Patricia’s turn.

But Day is using a different tack this time around.

Indulge me in a brief history lesson.

Here’s what Day said about the defense after a 35-28 loss to Oregon in which Coombs’ defense allowed 10 explosive plays:

“Now, it’s not just a single game; it’s a little bit of a pattern. We took a long, hard look at the last 48 hours and what’s going on, and we’re certainly gonna make some adjustments here, not only how we’re attacking other offenses, but structurally how we’re doing our day-to-day operations.”

Here’s what Day said about the defense after a 32-31 loss to Oregon in which Knowles’ defense allowed 10 explosive plays:

“I’m not happy with anything right now, but certainly we want to get more pressure on the quarterback. There’s no question. It’s the coaches’ job to make sure we put our players in an environment where they can be successful … I think it’s a combination of scheme and coaching.”

Here’s what Day said this week after a 41-28 loss to Oregon in which Patricia’s defense allowed 10 explosive plays:

“The first thing is the explosive plays the last two weeks have been glaring. It’s put us in a bad spot … But I know the type of coach Matt is, and I know he’s working his tail off to work with the staff to get this thing right. I believe he can do it. I’ve seen him do it before.”

See? Little different.

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COLUMBUS — Make Ohio State football less like an NFL team. We talked about it on the Wednesday show, and if you didn’t want to wade through nearly three hours of jabbering to get to the point, or if you want a reminder about what we said, here are five points of a plan for Ohio State to lean back toward college thinking.

1. Move from NFL coordinators to coordinators with major college experience

   Hiring Matt Patricia two seasons ago and Arthur Smith before this season made sense to me. Nick Saban recycled veteran coordinators, sometimes those with NFL experience, for years. Ryan Day doing the same, bringing deep resumes and potential strategic advantages to Columbus, seemed like an edge Ohio State could exploit compared to most other programs. It made sense because Ohio State had NFL-quality players — the first-round defenders of a year ago, and the Julian Sayin-Jeremiah Smith connection this season that Arthur Smith could attempt to maximize.

   Assuming it’ll be more difficult, in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, to put as much NFL talent on the field, I think it’s time for the Buckeyes to go back to the college route. The goal should be less about maximizing elite talent that was better than everyone else and more about elevating good talent that might be closer to what other competitive teams have.

   TLDR: If you don’t have JJ and Reese-Downs-Styles, are Smith and Patricia the right fit?

   With that in mind, Bill put together a list of college coordinator candidates if one or both of Smith and Patricia aren’t necessarily fired, but on their own or by mutual coordinator and program agreement, go back to the NFL.

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State hasn’t lost home games in consecutive weeks since losing to USC and Illinois in the third and fourth games of the 1990 season, John Cooper’s third year in Columbus that ended with the Buckeyes at 7-4-1.

Coming off a loss to Oregon, favored by 13.5 points over a Northwestern team also playing without its starting quarterback, as Nicco Marchiol replaces the injured Aidan Chiles, the Buckeyes are trying to avoid matching Year 3 Coop.

Time for Game Theories.

Game theory from Bill

Pick: Ohio State 30, Northwestern 20

I have no idea what to expect vibes-wise from Ohio State, and I’m not expecting a juiced-up Ohio Stadium. I’m worried about a sleepy start favoring Northwestern, but part of this pick is thinking the Buckeyes come out feeding Jeremiah Smith early and often to get into an immediate rhythm.

Everyone in the Woody is acutely aware of his lack of touches for two quarters against Oregon, and I’m expecting Arthur Smith and Luke Fahey to rectify that. Smith’s season-high for catches is 12 against Illinois. He’ll get more than that this week. It will be a combination of traditional downfield catches and manufactured quick touches that make him the focal point of the attack.

The Buckeyes technically aren’t dead for the Big Ten Championship, and by extension, the College Football Playoff. But they don’t control that. What they have a better chance to impact is Smith’s chance to win the Heisman Trophy. He’s the current favorite. I expect his lead will be bigger after this week.

All of this, of course, is contingent on the offensive line playing better. I think they will, but that’s more about Northwestern’s defensive line than it is a sudden belief in OSU’s O-line to get it figured out.

Defensively, Ohio State learned some good news on Wednesday night when it was revealed that Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles won’t play. His backup, Nicco Marchiol, isn’t nearly as good. Matt Patricia made a few allusions to “simplifying” the defense after the struggles the past two weeks. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but one thing I’ll predict is that the Buckeyes play more four-down fronts against Northwestern. Linebacker Christian Alliegro said he believes Patricia will have some more pressure packages this week. Maybe Alliegro gets a sack or two.

Mostly, this is a moment for Ohio State to get up off the mat against a worn-down Northwestern team that hasn’t had a week off in more than two months. I don’t think the Buckeyes will play perfectly, but the end this skid and get pack in the win column.

Game theory from Doug

Pick: Ohio State 30, Northwestern 21

Ohio State’s first offensive play — Jeremiah Smith in motion, little swing pass in the flat.

Ohio State’s third offensive play — Jeremiah Smith touchdown deep shot.

Smith is second in the nation in receptions of 40 yards or more, with eight, and Ohio State has to try some, “He’s down there somewhere, Luke, just throw it,” shots in this one. It worked in the final minute against Oregon last week, when Luke Fahey chucked it up for a 57-yard gain with game out of reach. It’s worth testing early against two outside corners for Northwestern that don’t have any chance of staying with Smith. Oregon hit a 75-yard touchdown to Dakorien Moore against Northwestern when the Ducks needed it and Ohio State needs, right from the start, to get their best player heavily involved.

Northwestern’s run defense allows 4.59 yards per carry, which ranks 97th in the nation, so there might be a chance to get the OSU run game going again the way it worked against USC. But while Ryan Day said the Buckeyes need more consistent play from the offensive line, there hasn’t been anything from that group, or the running backs, that can make you certain the Buckeyes capitalize on this. With a several receivers on the injury report, the only offensive certainty to me is a bunch of JJ.

Defensively, the Buckeyes have to get lined up and aligned. Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is going to shift formations before the snap, use motion constantly and make the Buckeyes stay sound. Should we expect them to? Not all the time. Northwestern is fifth in the Big Ten in offensive plays of 30 yards or more. But the Wildcats don’t rip off all that many monster, game-changing plays. So I’ll predict three plays of 30-40 yards — a huge hole for a running back for no reason, a wide open window in the secondary on a throw — that will make you tear your hair out. But I’m not sure any of them will be scores. And moving the ball consistently and efficiently with a backup QB should prove more difficult for Northwestern.

I think Ohio State jumps out 14-0 again, the crowd gets into it, and then the Buckeyes start blowing it. The OSU defense surrenders a couple of those big plays, and Northwestern starts clawing back. Maybe it’s 17-14 Ohio State at halftime, Northwestern drives for the go-ahead score early in the third quarter and then that guy, what’s his name, you know, No. 4 … yes, Jeremiah Smith, that’s it, breaks off another big play off a short throw and the Buckeyes do what they couldn’t do last week.

When the game turns against them, they stem the tide. They lean on their best player.

You’ll be mad at times, worried at times, frustrated often and potentially unsatisfied. But it’ll be an Ohio State win.

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Game theory from subscriber Frank B. from Toledo

Pick: Ohio State 38, Northwestern 9

We can all remember watching the mighty winds wobble passes in the 2022 game against Northwestern. When the clock struck zero in that game, C.J. Stroud had 76 passing yards.

We can also all remember receiving the news that Chris Olave would not be playing in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern, disrupting our passing attack and leaving the Buckeyes to be carried on the back of Trey Sermon.

Here we are now, perhaps remembering where we were last Sunday refreshing Substack for updates on when Bill and Doug’s Sunday Soundoff would occur.

Perhaps too remembering how much candy was left in our Halloween bowls when Trent Mosley dashed 69 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the USC game.

Remembering.

Remembering even the single word Coach Day uttered a lot in the offseason: Legacy. A word so ingrained in the team DNA this year that the players read “Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life” by James Kerr.

Saturday, Northwestern comes to The Shoe. Without generational wind gusts. Without us being a favorite anymore to seal a National Championship, let alone a Big Ten Championship.

Their arrival does mark an opportunity for these current Buckeyes to leave behind a legacy that has not been done since 2004. A legacy involving losing consecutive regular-season games, and still defeating TTUN.

That’s not nothing. Who’s to say going 3-0 in these next three games can’t lead to something?

A social media post that really resonated with me came from Adam King after the Oregon game last week. He shared a celebration that included Jeremiah Smith hyping up the offensive line after Bo Jackson’s second touchdown.

Coach Day mentioned on Wednesday that we are “desperate” for a win. We could use many touchdown celebrations this game.

Entering Saturday, Ohio State is averaging 2.3 offensive touchdowns per game in their last three games against Indiana, USC, and Oregon. Now, they face a defense in Northwestern that has given up fewer points per game than both USC and Oregon.

Northwestern does a great job overall limiting red-zone scoring chances. The Wildcats are tied for 15th in the country in this area. That red-zone attempt number, however, skyrockets when they are on the road, going from 2.6 attempts per game, to 4.

In this game, I expect us to continue that trend for Northwestern, and we will find ourselves in the red zone frequently.

Bill Landis talked this week about 12-personnel sets decreasing significantly against Oregon. I expect us to be excited about the outcome of this game due to not just winning the game, but by seeing that our cries for more 11-personnel sets have been heard.

This will be a game of peppering catches between Jeremiah Smith and Chris Henry Jr. Anything one can do, the other will try to do better — although Jeremiah will prove impossible to keep up with, both for CHJ and the Northwestern secondary. They will both provide early convictions of confidence for Fahey by making catches that move the chains.

Defensively, Jaylen McClain and Jay Timmons will each make plays that make us take steps — even if just baby steps — towards forgetting the dropped interceptions last week by reaching the quarterback on blitzes from Matt Patricia designs.

If COVID taught me anything, it is that any Saturday we have a Buckeye game is an absolute gift. We have a gift this Saturday. For three years now, we have had the absolute gift of getting to watch JJ compete. There were tears in my eyes when I got to see him break the Buckeyes receiving yardage record live against Kent State.

For anyone going to the game this weekend, I am confident there will be tears in your eyes too for something humbling, something remarkable, that he puts on display. Perhaps even another four-score performance like he had against Illinois.

This offseason, I remember a subscriber on the Father’s Day podcast sharing a story about remembering family with the song “I Wanna Go Back to Ohio State.”

For that subscriber, and for all of the BAD Family, I will be listening to that song on Friday night. Remembering the excitement that awaited this season. Remembering the excitement that it can still bring.

The show goes silent for 18 seconds from 2:14 to 2:14:18. The power at Bill’s house went out in the middle of recording. We can edit the raw video, but we have found that when we do, the file becomes much more difficult to upload. Not wanting to risk that, we decided to keep the show as is. So power through those 18 seconds, because we will be back!

As for what we discussed, well, what didn’t we discuss? The focus is our idea that Ohio State should start behaving less like an NFL team. We get to that eventually. Included in that discussion are ideas about roster building, both in recruiting and the portal. But the best thing is Bill’s list of offensive and defensive coordinator candidates from the college ranks, because we think the Buckeyes should shift away from Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith and toward up-and-coming college play callers.

Before that, the discussion points include:

• Ohio State’s place in Tuesday night’s playoff rankings

• Whether the Buckeyes should have played Texas this season

• Big Ten tiebreakers and how the Buckeyes could still make the Big Ten Championship Game, and then, with a win, the playoff

• Survey results from nearly 700 subscriber voters on feelings about the team

• Joel Klatt’s comments about Jeremiah Smith looking like he didn’t run some of his routes at full speed.

Then, after the blip, Whatcha includes Bill’s griddle dreams, great drive-through salads, a rising announcer, Matthew Perry, saving Wawa and more.

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COLUMBUS — Most weeks, you can find me posting clips from Ohio State’s games in the Notes section here on Substack. Doug suggested I compile all of those posts in one place so they’re easy to find. So here they are.

Consider this a stream-of-consciousness look at what Ohio State’s defense did against Oregon. It’s not a comprehensive review of every play, but rather some diagrams and thoughts on plays that best told the story of what was happening.

If you missed it, I did the same for the offense.

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COLUMBUS — I can picture Ohio State quarterbacks coach Tim Beck standing in front of me in the OSU locker room after the Buckeyes’ 2016 Fiesta Bowl loss (maybe because I rewatch the video below from time to time). To his credit, he stayed and faced the music when other coaches did not. To his detriment, the offense he was tasked with co-coordinating had just been blanked in a 31-0 loss to Clemson.

I’d been pushing Urban Meyer about failures on the offensive coaching staff all season.

Now Meyer was going to do something about it.

I’m pretty sure Beck had his new job already lined up by the time the game ended. He officially left to work for former OSU assistant Tom Herman at Texas three days later. So when I asked Beck if he thought he’d be back in 2017, knowing I thought there was no way he should be or would be back, I think he fudged it.

“I don’t know,” Beck said. “That’s Coach Meyer’s decision. I thought I worked really hard and feel good about it. We didn’t finish the way we wanted to, obviously. We didn’t play a very good game all the way around offensively and I’m a big part of that. I’m one of the leaders of the offense. So with that being said, the bullets get shot at me, and I’ve got to do a better job. So that’s where it kind of is, and I understand that.”

He was done, because that loss signaled what everyone knew.

It was time for a change. For a transformation.

Ohio State is on a two-game losing streak in the regular season for the first time (outside of 2011) since the transitional season of 2004.

Starting in 2004 and through the next 22 years of Ohio State football, almost every devastating loss led to substantial changes in the program.

Losing doesn’t go down easy here. Nor should it.

That’s where the Buckeyes find themselves now. That’s why special teams coach Robby Discher found himself out of a job Monday morning, sent packing by Ryan Day.

Fire the guy you hired fewer than 10 months ago who hasn’t done a good thing all year. Poof! Transformation.

OK, it’s not just that. And it doesn’t alway happen immediately (though honestly, sometimes is does). But when Ohio State loses big, it often is a moment that exposes an ongoing issue previously masked in victory by immense talent. When that talent wallpaper starts to peel, you see what’s underneath. And it’s ugly.

This is non-negotiable. Ohio State, after three losses this season and consecutive defeats to USC and Oregon, must transform before the 2027 season. If you think more should have happened right now, I get it. Timing can be the only excuse for not doing more.

I don’t think transformation must mean firing the head coach. As it stands, I wouldn’t do that. Thanks to more than 650 votes in our Monday survey, we know the majority of you wouldn’t do it either. The results of that, as of late Tuesday night.

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COLUMBUS — Most weeks, you can find me posting clips from Ohio State’s games in the Notes section here on Substack. Doug suggested I compile all of those posts in one place so they’re easy to find. So here they are.

Consider this a stream-of-consciousness kind of look at what Ohio State’s offense was doing against Oregon. It’s not a comprehensive review of every play, but rather some diagrams and thoughts on plays that best told the story of what was happening.

I’ll try to do the same for the defense later in the week.

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State has fired special teams coordinator Robby Discher after nine games, a source confirmed to BAD. CBS Sports first reported the news.

Discher was hired this offseason from Illinois as head coach Ryan Day sought to revamp a special teams unit that had underperformed for much of his tenure. Ohio State currently ranks 57th in special teams SP+, according to ESPN, and 92nd in special teams FEI, according to the Fremeau Index. The Buckeyes rank 113th in the country in punt return average at only 5.9 yards.

Watching Ohio State’s special teams this season would tell you more than any metric could. There just haven’t been any apparent improvements in OSU’s special teams operations since Discher took over, and Day had expressed displeasure with that facet of his team multiple times in the lead-up to making this decision. There’s also the element of Day wanting to send a message with a staff firing after his team took a second straight loss over the weekend, the third of the season, and now seems out of College Football Playoff contention. Discher is also the low man on the staff, being new and the lowest-paid of the 10 main assistants.

It’s unclear if Day, who will speak to the media on Tuesday, will make any other staff changes.

In Ohio State’s 41-28 loss to Oregon on Saturday, the Ducks flipped the game with a fake punt in the second quarter. Oregon, trailing 14-3 at the time, stole momentum from the Buckeyes, who never got it back. Two weeks ago in a loss at USC, Ohio State allowed a 44-yard punt return that helped set up a touchdown drive for the Trojans.

OSU has also had a rash of special teams penalties this year, including multiple procedural penalties where players were lined up wrong. Ohio State’s 19 special teams penalties are tied for the third-most in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. Ole Miss and Syracuse are the only Power Four programs with more special teams penalties. This is the second-most special teams penalties in a single season of the Day era, trailing the 23 committed in 2022, and at least three games remain this season.

There’s been no official announcement on Discher’s firing yet, and it’s unclear who will take over special teams duties. Last year, Day tasked his position assistants with running different parts of the special teams operation, with program assistant Rob Keys overseeing the overall special teams plan.

Keys, whose official title is senior analyst, is still on staff and could take over special teams in the interim.

COLUMBUS — We interact a lot with the subscribers who send messages in the chat and tune in live for our shows. There were more than 500 of you with us live Sunday night.

We love hearing from those Ohio State fans. But we know there are other subscribers out there who care deeply about the Buckeyes and don’t offer their opinions as much.

We’d love to hear from all of you right now.

This is a quick survey on your feelings about the state of the program. As we often say, you are our focus group. This dedicated, educated group gives the best window you could get into what Ohio State fans are thinking.

That’s why we’d love as many responses as possible, from every type of OSU fan that’s part of The Bill and Doug Show. We’ll talk about your answers this week. As always, thanks for being here.

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Dedicated. Educated. Frustrated.

This show covers initial thoughts from the rewatch, then gets into questions on the quarterback situation, defensive play calling, getting the ball to Jeremiah Smith, staff changes, giving up that fake punt, the NFL influence on Ohio State, leadership and more.

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COLUMBUS — Ten thoughts thinking about Ohio State’s loss to Oregon, without rewatching the game or looking at advanced stats. Here are Doug’s if you missed his.

1. Jeremiah Smith has every right to be pissed off and show it. Frankly, it’s refreshing to see someone show some fire when it’s clearly not coming from the coaching staff. Smith is a great player. I don’t think he was 100 percent comfortable with being a vocal leader when he was deservedly named a captain this offseason, but he’s led by example since day one by not only being the most talented person in the building, but also the hardest worker. He’s like you. He’s fed up with this team’s inability to get out of its own way.

2. I first guessed the Matt Patricia hire mostly because I didn’t think he’d be able to connect with college players. I also had production concerns because he hadn’t coordinated a good defense in a while, and nobody in the NFL seemed very interested in hiring him. But it was mostly about the personality fit. I was wrong on that part. Patricia seems to have fit in well at Ohio State, and the players seem to like him. He’s had more schematic issues than I was anticipating. His inability to understand college spacing, defend up-tempo offenses, and develop effective pressure packages has killed this team.

And, sure, you can say, ‘Well, the talent should be better.’ It should, but Patricia has a hand in that too. Ohio State went out and got the players he wanted. Ryan Day’s performance review of Patricia, as reported by Eleven Warriors in September, included goals such as “assisting with the new structure of college football based on his experience coaching in the NFL” and “assisting position coaches with evaluating recruits that best fit the Buckeyes’ defensive scheme.”

His hands are all over personnel and scheme with this defense, and it’s not good enough.

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COLUMBUS — Postgame videos from Ohio State’s loss to Oregon on Saturday.

The scene on the field after the game, and then the three postgame interviews by the Buckeyes.

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Jeremiah Smith during Carmen Ohio

Ryan Day

Austin Siereveld

Jaylen McClain

COLUMBUS — Ten thoughts thinking about Ohio State’s loss to Oregon, without rewatching the game or looking at advanced stats. Bill will do some also.

1. The hiring of Tyler Bowen is an original sin. As someone in the chat pointed out, it was probably an overreaction to Justin Frye’s recruiting failures. So to replace Frye, you prioritize a recruiter over a developer. I was pretty done with Frye, but he did manage the offensive line injuries in 2024 and patch that line back together. Bowen has never gotten the most out of individual talent with this OL group. In this day and age, I think hiring talent developers, technicians and schemers is more important than hiring recruiters. Throw money at the recruits you want, then develop them fast and effectively. The Bowen hire is from a bygone era that was over even before he hit campus. It’s a misfire by Ryan Day, and it has cost them. Imagine this team with a wall of an offensive line — it would be a backup QB’s best friend.

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On this BAD OT show, Doug and Bill address what they’d do next, including coaches they think should and could be fired, and how they would handle the quarterback position now.

On their initial postgame YouTube show, they dug more into the specifics of the loss, and then got into the big picture more here.

Get more from Bill Landis in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

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COLUMBUS — Ryan Day stood frozen on the sideline as Luke Fahey absorbed a fourth-down sack in the fourth quarter Saturday, emitting the last dying breath of a game gone wrong.

After a fast start that saw Ohio State score touchdowns on two of their first three drives, the Buckeyes unraveled as a true freshman quarterback looked overwhelmed in a 41-28 loss to Oregon.

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COLUMBUS — The crowd in Ohio Stadium was more than patient with an Ohio State team that gave them nothing to cheer for more than a quarter, long after the enthusiasm of a hot start wore off. Then, when the Buckeye offense went three-and-out on its first possession of the third quarter, after Oregon’s third straight touchdown drive, the boos rained down.

They were deserved.

Ohio State, with its backs against the wall and its season on the line, no-showed at home in an embarrassing 41-28 loss to the Ducks.

The last time this program lost consecutive regular-season games was in 2011, after Jim Tressell’s resignation, with an interim coach leading a lost season. Before that, you’d have to go back to three straight losses in October 2004 to find the last time Ohio State lost consecutive regular-season games.

And now this: a loss to Oregon to kick off November after the Buckeyes wilted on the road last week at USC. It’s OSU’s third loss of the season. Barring a miracle (which would include believing this team doesn’t lose again in one of its three remaining games), there won’t be playoff football in Columbus this year.

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Bill and Doug believe this game against Oregon is the most important non-Michigan, regular-season game since Ryan Day became head coach. With their backs against the wall, how will this Ohio State team look against a talented but struggling Oregon team?

Bill and Doug have spent the week analyzing this matchup and breaking down what they saw in the USC game last week. As always, they also give insights on all Ohio State news from press conferences to availability reports and more.

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My article pick this week

My podcast pick this week

Inside Ohio State’s history after a regular-season loss, plus playoff rankings reaction and WhatchaOther podcasts this week - Subscriber only

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Other podcasts this week

• Sunday Night Soundoff: Answering OSU-USC questions (as Doug goes crazy for a bit) - Subscriber only

• Betting the Buckeyes: Why TShoe likes a fast start for Ohio State, plus his numbers comparing OSU and Oregon - Subscriber only

• Ohio State vs. Oregon Picks and Preview: Buckeyes and Ducks in battle of backup quarterbacks

• Is Oregon the biggest Ohio State regular-season game (non-Michigan version) of the Ryan Day era?

• Ryan Day reaction: Ohio State answers on red zone, tight ends, offensive line issues, sneaks & more

• Ohio State’s biggest issue? Red zone or defense? Plus Jeremiah Smith Heisman hopes: Around the Shoe

• Ohio State loses to USC 30-18: BAD Overtime - Subscriber only

• Ohio State loses to USC 30-18, Buckeyes fail to rally around new starting QB

Other articles this week

• 25 questions I’d like to ask Ryan Day

• Ohio State Game Prep: Buckeyes to watch, gameday plans, things we want to see

• Ohio State let Luke Fahey down in the true freshman’s first start, a 30-18 loss to USC

• Ohio State actually is allowed to lose, it’s just not allowed to lose two in a row

• When Ohio State needed its defense to stand up at USC, it instead got trucked

• What Ryan Day said after Ohio State’s loss at USC

• Oregon at Ohio State: Game theories and picks for the Ducks vs. the Buckeyes, plus polls on your picks

• Ryan Day Debrief: Ohio State’s playoff ranking, what went wrong vs. USC

• The best way to appreciate Ryan Day is to compare him to Lincoln Riley (and maybe a little to Sark)