Pressure Mounts on Ryan Day as Ohio State Great Joey Galloway Makes Concerning Revelation

Ohio State arrived with the talent advantage, but USC left with the statement win. Lincoln Riley’s side stunned the Buckeyes 30-18, exposing problems Ryan Day can no longer afford to overlook. Quarterback Julian Sayin’s absence was a major blow to the offence, but the defensive struggles and the penalties made matters worse. After another damaging result, pressure is mounting on Day to fix the holes, and questions about his future are adding to it.

While speaking with Kirk Herbstreit, Ohio State legend Joey Galloway pointed to a glaring problem with the Buckeyes against the USC Trojans: 11 penalties committed by the team. It was standard postgame analysis, but what makes it concerning is that Galloway described the problems as recurring.

“I would imagine this wasn’t the first time this season,” Galloway remarked on Nonstop with Kirk and Joey. “And I’m sure it wasn’t the first time for you, where you walked away and thought to yourself, the defense didn’t dominate the way we’re used to seeing this team dominate, as this play right here, broken tackles. I think USC converted a third and 18 or something like that, running the football.”

The numbers back up his assessment. USC finished with 338 total yards on just 50 offensive plays, averaging 6.8 yards per play. They also recorded 116 rushing yards, with King Miller and Waymond Jordan combining for two rushing touchdowns.

Ohio State surrendered a 69-yard touchdown reception to freshman Trent Mosley and a 70-yard catch to Mark Bowman, which showed how much trouble the defense had containing explosive plays.

The defensive performance was especially concerning because Ohio State entered the matchup allowing just 13.4 points per game. However, USC shattered that reputation by allowing 30 points, the most the Buckeyes had allowed since October 2024. Beyond Jayden Maiava’s 222 passing yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, Ohio State generated little pressure, managing just one sack.

The responsibility ultimately falls on Day, who assembled this coaching staff and entrusted two former NFL head coaches with running the offence and defence. He brought in Arthur Smith to oversee the offensive play-calling and Matt Patricia to coordinate the defence, so their struggles are hard to separate from his own decisions. Galloway believes that is where the blame will land.

“I know that, listen, again, I live here, so the story is going to be Fahey, the story is going to be coaching,” he added. “Listen, I always joke with Coach Day when we talk. I always joke with him about, you can be two years removed from winning a national championship, and all of a sudden you’re terrible. You’re these coaches stink. How dare they go and get outcoached by Lincoln Riley? Now, who actually knows what that means? But you hear it all the time.”

Day’s latest setback has reignited questions about his ability to deliver in high-pressure games. Critics argue that his performances fall short of what his salary and Ohio State’s talent pool demand. The doubts have only intensified after Sayin suffered an injury, forcing Luke Fahey to step in as the team’s starting quarterback.

CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah added to the criticism, pointing out the lack of NFL-calibre talent on this year’s squad.

“This is a good roster, but nothing like the championship-level ones,” Jeyarajah wrote. “Critics have long claimed Day was born on third base. This is the moment when we discover if he’s able to coach up a deficient roster.”

At 6-2, Ohio State is in a position where another loss would put its playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. With the penalties, the tackling, and the pass rush all under scrutiny, Day has to show he can fix them. Whether he can remains to be seen.

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