It doesn’t help Day’s case that, until he specified, it wasn’t clear which half he was talking about. Michigan outscored the Buckeyes 28-14 in the second half two years ago in Ann Arbor. Last year, it was 28-3 in Columbus. Two bad halves over the course of two-plus seasons isn’t a lot, but it was enough to shift the balance of the rivalry and put Day on the defensive.
It’s no secret where that narrative comes from. It comes from Ohio State’s performances against Michigan the past two years. Winning in South Bend was huge, but if the Buckeyes want to shed that narrative for good, beating Michigan is the only way to do it.
Austin Meek is the beat writer for TTUN on the Athletic. I enjoy The Athletic and regularly read the beat writers for other teams, especially Big Ten teams.
Is Ryan Day's statement accurate, just "one bad half"? Or is it the accumulation of short yardage woes that have generally plagued the Buckeyes on offense and the inability to stop TTUN's power run game?
Is Austin Meek statement accurate? Is beating TTUN is the ONLY way to shed the narrative for good despite what we might do against other quality opponents?
