The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the season as the No. 1 team in the country. But they’re now 6-3 and staring at the possibility of missing the College Football Playoff.
The skid started when starting quarterback Julian Sayin fractured his right elbow in an Oct. 17 win over Indiana. Since then, Ohio State has lost 30-18 at USC and 41-28 at home to Oregon.
It’s the first time the Buckeyes have dropped back-to-back games since 2011. True freshman Luke Fahey started both of those losses.
However, Ryan Day isn’t making a change — and Buckeyes fans are fuming.
Ohio State Fans Aren’t Happy With Ryan Day
Day confirmed on Tuesday that Fahey will start Saturday against Northwestern. That keeps former five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair on the bench for another week.
“Luke is going to be our quarterback this week and Tavien’s one snap away, and that mentality has got to be, continue to be his mentality and continue to grow,” Day said.
The decision didn’t sit well with Buckeyes fans, who flooded social media after Day’s press conference with messages of frustration.
“Unserious program now thanks to Ryan, he has checked out,” one fan wrote.
“So nothing is changing this season. The roster is gonna be barren in about 5 weeks,” another fan posted.
“Fahey ain’t it man. They need to see what TSC can really do,” one fan scoffed.
“Maybe Day is the problem then! There is no way St Clair is worse than too short Fahey or else he obviously doesn’t have a good enough qb coach to develop his players considering he is in his second year in the program .. so sounds like the qb coach needs fired next,” another fan exclaimed.
“If he starts Fahey 1 more time I say fire him,” one user stated.
“Even Urban (Meyer) doesn’t understand why TSC didn’t get in last week,” another user replied.
“Two losses in a row? St Clair deserves a shot,” argued one fan.
Urban Meyer Also Questioning Day’s Decision
It’s not just fans who are puzzled by Day’s decision either.
Former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer openly questioned how Day’s staff has handled St. Clair. Meyer suggested Ohio State is now stuck riding Fahey for the rest of the season because it never got St. Clair ready.
It’s easy to understand the frustration. St. Clair was one of the top quarterbacks in his recruiting class, ranked as a five-star prospect alongside Alabama’s Keelon Russell and Michigan’s Bryce Underwood. Fahey was a three-star prospect out of Mission Viejo, California.
There’s also the transfer portal to consider. If St. Clair spends the rest of the season as QB2, he very well might transfer. That would make him another Ohio quarterback the Buckeyes lost.
Day admitted he’s “extremely disappointed and frustrated” with how the season has unfolded. This is the first time he’s had three regular-season losses in his eight years as head coach, and he said he’s evaluating his staff week to week.
Fahey will get his third chance at a win when Ohio State hosts Northwestern at noon on Saturday. Nebraska and Michigan follow.
Ohio State Fans Are Fuming Over Ryan Day’s Puzzling QB Decision