The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Saturday aiming to win back fans. But coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes came under new fire against Northwestern.
One viral photo shined a light on the current state of the 2026 Buckeyes. Plus shows the slow downturn of Ohio State football this season.
Student Section Photo Turns Heads
Sports analyst Darren Rovell shared a couple of photos from inside Ohio Stadium. Rovell even shared this statement from a lifelong Buckeyes fan.
“Been coming here since 1990, student section never this empty,” Rovell shared via the fan.
Rovell posted these photos via the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Past OSU home games annually see every seat occupied. Even the Oregon contest didn’t have that many empty seats. And that ended in a 41-28 rout for the Ducks.
But that scene paints this unsettling reality for Day and the Buckeyes: There are fans turning their back on him and this team. Even Buckeyes beat writer for Buckeye Huddle Conner Smith shared a video that highlighted multiple empty seats.
And Ohio State’s start didn’t help matters either.
Costly Mistake Arrives in Ohio State vs. Northwestern Showdown
Backup quarterback Luke Fahey handled the reins once again for the third straight game. Fahey absorbed two losses against ranked foes USC and Oregon before taking on the Wildcats. Saturday rose as a brand new opportunity for the true freshman to show he can lead this offense and play mistake free.
But Fahey threw a costly interception inside the red zone that stalled a long Buckeyes offensive drive.
So Fahey continued to struggle from there. He completed 11 passes out of 16 attempts. He even got star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in the Big Ten record books. But he settled for only 92 yards and tossed one touchdown, which was a short four-yard connection to Isaiah West.
Running back Bo Jackson tacked on one more score before the first half ended, taking a wildcat direct snap and scoring. But the Buckeyes took a 14-6 lead into the locker room, which further highlighted the continuous struggles of this team.
Is Ohio State Officially Broken?
Some fans began believing that Oregon’s Nov. 7 rout in Columbus became the breaking point for the Buckeyes fan base.
Day has lost his most regular season games in his tenure. Plus OSU has lost its most regular season games since 2011, when Luke Fickell took over on an interim basis after Jim Tressel got fired. So that blemish has left fans in Columbus irate.
Now the frustration is highlighted through the student section pregame scene. Even students who fill those seats have left it vacant. The photos and videos rise as a microcosm of OSU’s 2026 season. All while the rest of the nation has helped write off any hope of a national title this season for this proud program.
Ohio State, Ryan Day Under New Fire Over Viral Stadium Photo