Ryan Day’s Ohio State remains unbeaten in the 2025 season with a 7-0 record. The defending national champions are aiming to replicate last year’s success, but Day still recalls how his squad grew after the narrow 13-10 loss to Michigan in 2024.
Last season, Sherrone Moore’s Michigan was 6-5 entering the final week of the regular season, but Ryan Day’s Ohio State had to digest a three-point loss to the Wolverines. The loss also dropped Day’s head coaching record against UM to 1-4.
What Did Ryan Day Reveal About the 2024 Michigan Loss?
On the latest podcast episode of Kirk Herbstreit’s “Nonstop” on Monday, Ryan Day was asked about the lessons he learned from last year’s loss to Michigan.
“What do you think you learned after last year? The Michigan game, the anguish, the frustration…What did you take away, there were some really difficult moments for you and your family,” Herbstreit asked.
“You just learn every year. You grow every year,” Day said.
“It’s like being the father or being a husband where you have a family, you know you got to do the best you can to to do what’s right. When you have bad moments you got to admit when you’re wrong you got to identify the things that are wrong get them fixed, and then go from there,” the 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year further elaborated.
“I do think you know you learn a lot about how the season plays out. You learn about how you want to bring your team along…”
That loss also marked the first time OSU lost four back-to-back games to Michigan since 1988-91, but the Buckeyes ultimately ended the season with a national championship.
“When the storms hit you know you’re strong,” Day said. “But yeah to say those those moments were easy, they weren’t. I mean you learn a lot about yourself. You learn about a lot about the people that are around you and it makes the you know the journey even that more enjoyable when you finish the way we did. That’s awesome.”
Ohio State holds the No. 1 ranking in the nation this season. The Buckeyes started the season being No. 2 nationally and have since captured the top spot.
Fresh off a blowout 34-0 win against Wisconsin on Saturday, Day believes that his squad still has plenty of room to improve. “We had the special teams breakdown, which we can’t have happen,” he said postgame.
“That can cost you a game. That was ridiculous. We know what our issues are, and we have to continually work on them to get them better.”
OSU, currently ranked seventh on PFSN’s CFB Impact metric, will enjoy a bye week before they host Penn State on Nov. 1.
