Buckeyes Outplayed by Oregon and Ryan Day Out Coached by Dan Lanning in Must Win Game

The Ohio State Buckeyes came into Saturday night's game needing a victory to keep their season alive. To their credit, they came out in the first quarter and took it straight to the Oregon Ducks. 

After earning a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. As it turned out, that was the peak of the mountain for the Buckeyes because, from the second quarter through the end of the game, it was all Ducks and then some.

It had been 28 years since the Ohio State Buckeyes gave up 38 unanswered points, and that is exactly what happened on Saturday night. It was a dropped interception on 3rd and 9 at the beginning of the 2nd quarter that changed the tide of the game.

After the turnover was dropped the flood gates opened.

Oregon executed the perfect fake punt that resulted in a 30-yard pass to gain the first down and got the Ducks rolling. Four plays after that, the Ducks found the end zone, and it everyone in the stadium sat up in their chairs a little bit, knowing that there was a battle brewing. 

It didn't stop there; Oregon had the answer to everything that the Buckeyes gave them. Jeremiah Smith was a complete non-factor in the entire game, and that was a major reason for what happened.

Quarterback Luke Fahey was uncomfortable all night long. Truthfully, he looked like the true freshman he is. He missed throw after throw and, for whatever reason, refused to look towards Jeremiah Smith. 

Smith finished the day with just five catches for just 63 yards, while Devin McCuin finished with 9 catches for 84 yards. 

The passing game was a complete non-factor for Ohio State, and when Oregon took the run game away, the Ducks baited them into continuing to throw the ball, and it was a complete disaster all night long.

Ohio State added a touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter on a Jeremiah Smith touchdown catch, which was good to get him in the end zone.

The main takeaway from this one is that for the second straight week, the Buckeyes were outplayed and, more concerningly, outcoached by their opponent. 

Saturday night inside Ohio Stadium was when the Ohio State Buckeyes' season imploded, and all of their dreams came to die. It was a disaster of a game for Ohio State, and there are going to be a lot of tough conversations that will happen within the Ohio State program tonight, tomorrow, and in the weeks to come. 

Final score, Oregon 41, Ohio State 22.