Ohio State coach Ryan Day says goal-line decision was wrong

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that his decision to try to stop Texas at the goal line in the final minute of Saturday's 24-23 loss was wrong because it failed. "It didn't work, so the answer is yes," Day told reporters when asked if he should have allowed the Longhorns to score a go-ahead touchdown earlier, preserving more time for his offense. The critical sequence began when Texas drove to the Ohio State 1-yard line with 1 minute and 23 seconds remaining, trailing 23-17. Day chose to trust his defense to make a stand rather than concede a touchdown and give quarterback Julian Sayin over a minute to respond. The Buckeyes stopped Texas on first and second down, but running back Hollywood Smothers scored on third down with just 25 seconds left, leaving Ohio State with no timeouts. "If we win the game, then it would have been the right decision," Day said. "In the moment you've got to make a hard decision, and I decided to try to hold the line." He confirmed the decision was made after discussing it with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The loss squandered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead and ended Ohio State's 115-game winning streak when leading by 20 points.