Ohio State stormed out to a fast start against Oregon on Saturday, with Luke Fahey making his second start and the Buckeyes building a two-touchdown lead by the end of the first quarter. The early cushion seemed to put the Buckeyes back on track after last week's loss to Southern California.
Then everything unraveled. The Buckeyes went scoreless over the next two quarters while allowing 38 unanswered points before finally reaching the end zone again in the fourth.
The stunning turnaround caught Ryan Day by surprise, as did his team's eventual 41-28 loss to the Ducks, which handed the Buckeyes their third defeat of the regular season.
Ohio State. Scoreboard
"We didn't expect any of this to happen,"Day said after the game. "I thought the way we came out was how we thought we were playing this game. Then once the momentum swung, we weren't able to stop that."
Despite losing by 13 points, Ohio State outgained Oregon 413-395 and nearly matched the Ducks in time of possession, trailing by just two seconds. Fahey completed 36-of-50 passes for 360 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in his second start. Bo Jackson had two rushing touchdowns as well, both coming in the opening frame.
Day said he wasn't going to sit at the podium and point fingers "at one group of guys" as the Buckeyes were all coming up short collectively. He did, however, mention that he'll have to "evaluate everything" and figure out Ohio State's struggles with his staff on Sunday.
"It all starts with the staff, and then it goes to the players," Day said. "So there needs to be accountability for all of it. And then we go from there."
The loss on Saturday, however, makes Ohio State a three-loss team, something the program hasn't gone through under Day in his tenure. It's also just the second three-loss season since 2011 for the Buckeyes and only the program's third season with three or more losses since 2001, which was Jim Tressel's first season as head coach.
It also makes the Buckeyes' path to the College Football Playoff considerably more difficult. Ohio State entered Week 10 as one of the first teams left out of the CFP selection committee's initial 12-team rankings, and a third regular-season loss only further damages its postseason hopes.
"Not someplace we thought we'd be. Beyond disappointed and understand what the expectations are," Day said. "... To lose three games is unacceptable, and I own that. That's never going to change from my view point."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Day didn’t see Ohio State’s collapse coming. Now he owns the mess
