One of the biggest turning points of The Game on Saturday was Ohio State's 35-yard touchdown strike on 4th-and-5 when it trailed 6-3 in the first half.
The slant-and-go route run by Smith put his defender on skates and Ohio State in the lead after Michigan had taken early momentum on a field-goal drive and an interception that led to another field goal. Julian Sayin put the ball in a perfect spot.
SAYIN TO JEREMIAH SMITH FOR THE TOUCHDOWN@OhioStateFB takes the lead pic.twitter.com/RG18zeI9uq
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 29, 2025
On his weekly Buckeye Roundtable appearance with 97.1 the Fan, Day dove into his decision to go for it in that spot and shared some extra insight on the play call. It was one that Ohio State was keeping in its back pocket for a critical late-game moment, but Day felt then was the time to strike. It's hard to argue with the decision after a 27-9 Buckeye win to end their curse in The Game.
Day also discussed his offensive line's performance and did some more previewing of the Big Ten Championship Game vs. Indiana during the segment.
- On the decision to go for it on 4th-and-5: "It was a play that I felt like we were gonna use later in the game in a spot like that, but we didn’t start the way we wanted to. ... I made my mind up that we were going to go for it on third down. ... We got the coverage that we expected. The corner was sitting at the sticks at five yards and Jeremiah ran a great route."
- On the offensive line's performance at Michigan: "Physical. They brawled. They threw people around and executed well. Great performance by them. ... Completely different challenge this week, completely different challenge."
- Ohio State's success at halftime adjustments has been a mixture of film study on the sideline iPads and coaches finding ways to put their players in the best positions, Day said.
- On Indiana's offense led by Fernando Mendoza: "It starts with the quarterback. ... He's really good. Smart, accurate. ... I think the running game has been excellent. ... They're No. 1 in the country in turnover margin."
- On the Buckeyes' success running the ball, especially on its 20-play drive: "That was big. ... Felt like we can make it a three-score game, we were in pretty good shape based on the way the defense was playing. ... It started snowing a little harder and the defense started playing a little harder. ... A big part of it was third-down conversions. That's as well as we've done with third-down conversions."
- Ohio State's focus on routine and preparation remains unwavering as it's “getting ready to play in some of these monster games,” Day said.
