Ohio State's No. 1 defense is three years in the making

Ryan Day didn't like the way his Buckeyes lost to the Ducks.

The times Ryan Day has come across the Oregon Ducks have turned out to be pretty consequential. 

The first time, in a way, led him to his current role as Ohio State’s head coach: Back in the day, Day played quarterback at New Hampshire under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The two remained tight following Day’s playing career, culminating in a series of conversations early in Kelly’s Oregon tenure. Kelly wanted Day on his staff. Day was intrigued but ultimately didn’t want to move across the country. So Day remained cutting his teeth as a receivers coach at Boston College, then padded his resume as OC at Temple before Kelly eventually hired him as his quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. Four years later he’d succeed Urban Meyer as Ohio State’s head coach. 

Day’s first two seasons with the Buckeyes were spent as one of the hottest names in coaching. Ohio State’s only loss in 2019 came in the College Football Playoff semifinal. Ohio State’s only loss in 2020 came in the National Championship game. 

His first loss outside the postseason, however, came to Oregon. And it’s that 2021 loss that’s set some of the table for Saturday’s anticipated epic in Eugene.