Ohio State has had enough under their belt. They are still possibly plunged into an irreparable heartbreak received from an age-old rival, Michigan Wolverines. They managed to take care of the business in each game except against the No.1 Oregon. But the fall against the Wolverines is never a recurring bad luck. Although it seemed like one, it was more of a calculated failure. If you have seen Ryan Day and his team’s performance throughout the season and not from just the scoreboard, you have certainly pointed out some major loopholes in their pattern all along. The tragic history against the Wolverines just added to the lack of confidence in the recipe and nothing more than that. Ahead of a dim SEC path, Joel Klatt issued a stern warning.

Ryan Day has been on a hot seat after giving it up to the worst rival with back-to-back wrong decisions on a black game day. Fans and veterans had already started to find his replacements, dishing continuous disapproval of his job. The only good thing that hangs in the balance is a slight silver lining for a potential SEC championship. It’s either a national title or a bust for the beleaguered Ohio State coach. But the way Michigan exposed its dark, it will understandably be a very tough nut to crack in Atlanta. However, CFB analyst Joel Klatt has some strict instructions for its sake.

Ohio State can’t have their way in the running game. Klatt suggested the players chin up and focus on the upcoming. Despite sympathizing with their whimpering loss, the football intellect wants them to learn from their mistakes and ace through a narrow success path. ”They are not a dominant team out there, and guess what? If you can learn from this game and fix some of the issues that you had in this game, if you cannot repeat them, then they could win the national championship. See, after they lost to Oregon,” the analyst made a clear judgment. 

Klatt gave Ryan Day and the team the flowers for improving their defense and became a lot better after receiving a nasty reality check from the Ducks. So the loss turned out as a wake-up call for the No.2. This time, they have to do the same but with the offense. Turning frustration into strength is the biggest winner’s mindset.

‘‘You’ve got to do the same thing on the offensive side, and what is the thing that you’ve got to learn? You cannot get dragged into a street fight with that offence. You can’t because the offensive line is not good enough to do that; it’s not good enough to do that. Ohio State has got to play on the perimeter. This cannot be a running team. It cannot be a running team. In order to win the national championship, it has to be a passing team,” Klatt spilt out feasible math for Ryan Day’s prestige season.

He gave the torch on Will Howard’s shoulder to carry and asked Ryan Day and Chip Kelly to trust the QB more to get their way into the bullseye. It’s kind of contradicting as Will Howard was the man apparently responsible for the deathblow into the team’s letdown.

Will Howard issues a sincere apology for coming up short

The home stadium didn’t treat Howard any good. He had high hopes of beating the Wolverines heading to the game, as it was a very new adrenaline rush for him. No past baggage, no trauma, no pressure, only pure love and ability to throw himself into his teammates’ shoes who survived the pain through the years motivated the QB phenom to clinch the win at all costs. But it wasn’t his day simply.

Howard was underwhelming under center, throwing for 175 yards and one touchdown, two interceptions, 19 of 33 passing. His last interception in the red zone possibly decided the fate of the game. Howard didn’t step back from coming clean in front of the media. He simply sought an apology for not being able to deliver. ”I still love this team. I still love this university. I’m just… I’m sorry, man. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to be a Buckeye, and I’m sorry I couldn’t get this one.” Howard said in a choked-up voice, trying hard to control his tears.

But he didn’t give up. Better days are ahead. ”It hurts, man. I can’t say it enough: I’m sorry to Buckeye Nation. But listen, we still have things in front of us. And we can still run the table and win a national championship. At the end of the day, that’s what we have to focus on,” the Buckeyes QB ended on a positive note.

Now, all he has to do is to keep Klatt’s pointers in mind and proceed fearlessly, leaving the past behind.