Last night, a source of anxiety for myself and many other fans was Ryan Day's choice to punt to Notre Dame, especially on 4th and 1 at the OSU 37 and 4th and 3 at the ND 40, then again in the 2nd half on 4th and 2 at the OSU 38. I decided to look at what happened in the ensuing drives after the punts to see if they were good decisions. 

4th and 1 at OSU 37:

ND got the ball at their 13, and proceeded to go 87 yards for the score. This drive included the ridiculous circus catch on 3rd and 2 that would've ended the drive.  ND was still in script and had the great clear-out route combination for a 22 yard pass to their 2nd TE as well as a freaking tunnel screen to their 265 pound behemoth TE Mayer. Can't feel that bad about this one, but I still think OSU could've gotten that yard. 

4th and 3 at the ND 40:

This was a great decision. Stroud had looked a bit shaky on the drive, ND got the ball at their own 5. ND proceeded to go 23 yards on the ensuing drive. If OSU doesn't convert on 4th down and ND gets 23 yards, they're quite close to field-goal range. OSU was able to leverage the field position gains made by the decision to punt in their next offensive drive, which they started at the OSU 24 and ended with a missed field goal. 

4th and 2 at the OSU 38:

Another great decision. ND got the ball at their own 12 yard line and went 23 yards again with the ensuing drive. Not getting the 1st down would have OSU got the ball back at its own 30 after the ND drive stalled, and went 70 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. 

All-in-all, it's pretty clear that Day's decisions to punt were generally good decisions, and showed the trust he had in Knowles's defense. Would he have punted in those same spots last year? It's doubtful, given the significantly worse offense and the presence of Olave and Wilson in the lineup.