Skull Session: Slings and Stones

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State fans at their New Years Eve partypic.twitter.com/csuOLhtR0U
— Underdog (@Underdog) January 1, 2026

Happy New Year.

A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS.

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch

SLINGS AND STONES.

SEARCHING THE ARCHIVES…

NOV. 6, 2025…

RYAN DAY PRESS CONFERENCE…

“It’s the little things that will get you in the end,” Day said. “There was a reflection recently about David vs. Goliath, and what was the thing that got Goliath? It was the stone. It was a little thing. Goliath didn’t wake up that day and think it was the stone that was gonna get him, but it was. What are the things we’re doing on a daily basis that can get us? What are the issues? The issues are always there, and we have to continue to address them. And if we think that we’ve got it, we’re about to get it. That has to be the mindset every week.”

David had five stones.

Ohio State had two.

The trenches.

Special teams.

In its losses to Indiana and Miami, Ohio State’s offensive line and defensive line fell short — really short — as the Hoosiers and Hurricanes asserted their dominance on both sides of the ball. In the Big Ten Championship Game, Ohio State allowed five sacks but recorded three. Those numbers were five to two in the Cotton Bowl. The Buckeyes’ run game also fell below standard in both contests, as Indiana outgained Ohio State 118-58 on the ground and Miami outgained it 153-45.

Special teams feels less like a stone and more like a boulder. Even with a dedicated coach in Parker Fleming, the unit was Ohio State’s worst. It didn’t improve with former Findlay head coach Rob Keys leading the unit as a part-time staffer and Brian Hartline, Keenan Bailey, James Laurinaitis and Matt Guerrieri dedicating whatever time they can beyond their own position groups.

Against Indiana, Jayden Fielding squeaked in a 30-yard field goal before missing a crucial 27-yarder that could have tied the Buckeyes and Hoosiers at 13. After fending off Jackson Courville during Ohio State’s CFP prep, Fielding stepped onto the field against Miami with confidence — only to miss a 49-yard kick wide left. (The flashbacks to Noah Ruggles at the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2022 were real.) The Buckeyes also committed an illegal formation penalty on Joe McGuire’s third punt, which he pinned at the 10-yard line. McGuire’s next punt traveled to the 30-yard line. That’s 20 hidden yards.

Ohio State’s mindset all season was to chop wood and carry water.

Unfortunately, the Buckeyes’ axes grew dull, and their jugs cracked.

In the season’s biggest moments, Ohio State failed to leave no doubt — and instead left its fate to a single play, a single moment — costing the Buckeyes their first Big Ten title since 2020 and a chance to become the first Ohio State team to win back-to-back national championships.

That’s hard to chew on. Now comes eight months of breaking it down, hoping we can swallow it without choking.

“WE PUT OURSELVES BEHIND THE 8-BALL.” Ryan Day takes ownership of Ohio State’s loss to Miami. As the team’s head coach, Day said he’s responsible for preparing his players for battle. He didn’t do that on Wednesday.

“We put ourselves behind the 8-ball,” Day said in his postgame press conference. “We worked really hard during the last three weeks leading up to this game to come out of the gates and win the first quarter, win the first half and be ready to go. I thought we had an excellent plan on that in what we did. I think the guys bought into it. But at the end of the day, we didn’t get it done, and that starts with me and goes down from there.

“I take responsibility for not getting the guys ready. And as you know, we spent an inordinate amount of time putting the plan together to get everybody ready to go play in the first half, and we didn’t win the first half. So, you know, we’ve got to figure out why that was and learn from it moving forward.”

This offseason will be one long look in the mirror for the Buckeyes. I hope it makes them desperate and hungry.

HEED HIS WORDS. Ohio State legend Maurice Clarett had a message for Buckeye Nation following the team’s loss to Miami.

“Much respect to our team first and foremost. I’m proud of them,” Clarett posted on X. “Wins and losses are part of the game. Didn’t accomplish what we wanted, but that’s life. That’s part of sports.”

His post continued, “Much respect to Miami. They executed and got it done. That’s what it all comes down to.”

And his post ended, “Win with class, lose with class… That’s life. We will get better from this.”

Much respect to you, Maurice.

Ohio State will get better from this!

SONG OF THE DAY. “Auld Lang Syne” - Guy Lombardo.