Ohio State went from dominating Oregon to getting completely embarrassed on its home turf. The Buckeyes stormed out to a 14-point first-quarter lead, looking ready to erase the humiliation of their USC loss. Instead, they suffered another spectacular collapse. Oregon ripped off 38 unanswered points, exposed Ohio State’s glaring weaknesses, and handed Ryan Day’s squad a humiliating 41-28 defeat at the Horseshoe.

The defeat puts Ohio State at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. It is the Buckeyes’ third loss of the season and their second in a row, leaving their College Football Playoff hopes in a difficult position. After the game, head coach Ryan Day did not hide his disappointment. He spoke about the fake punt, the offense’s struggles, the defensive breakdowns, and the challenges of starting a freshman quarterback. He also made it clear that the coaching staff has plenty to review.

Ohio State’s problems began when Oregon shifted the momentum in the second quarter. The Ducks caught the Buckeyes off guard with a fake punt, as Teitum Tuioti took the snap and found Matayo Uiagalelei, who ran 30 yards to set up a scoring opportunity. Dierre Hill Jr. finished the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run.

Here’s what Day said when asked about the stretch in which Ohio State struggled to get its offense going.

Reporter: “Ryan, you guys obviously went a long stretch there in the second and third quarter where things were in trouble offensively. What was the trouble there with getting Jeremiah the ball and getting things going? Where did things kind of fall apart there?”

Ryan Day: “Well, I think really where the game, I think anyone could see where the game changed was we lost those two possessions there in the second quarter. And they hit the fake punt on us, which is extremely disappointing on our end.

“And then coming out in that two-minute drill with Luke, decided to be aggressive with it. In hindsight, probably should have maybe run the ball there and just got out of the half and got ourselves into the third quarter. And so that, to me, was a huge turning point in the game.

“And then coming out in the third quarter there, we had the snap go over Luke’s head. And then weren’t able to convert on some of those two fourth-and-twos, and then the one backed up. And so we were able to get no rhythm on offense.”

The loss also raised questions about whether the Buckeyes have been able to execute the plans set by the coaching staff. Ohio State has now dropped three games this season, and Day was asked why the team has struggled to meet expectations in those defeats.

Reporter: “In your three losses, it kind of seems like your team or coaching staff or all of us kind of failed to meet that message, that improvisation. Why do you think that hasn’t clicked in those losses? That maybe needs to be evaluated.”

Ryan Day: “Yeah. Well, I think that we have to evaluate everything. And the things that we felt like we needed to do in this game, in particular on offense, were not met, like you said. And I think trying to figure out how to move the ball down the field with a freshman quarterback and how that all works is something that they’re all working hard to get done, but haven’t been able to get done.

“And I think on defense, we’ve given up some explosive plays. We put them in a tough spot a few times. I thought getting off the field there before the fake punt would have been a huge stop and enabled for us to get the ball on offense and eat up some more clock there in the second quarter, but it didn’t happen.

“So I’ve got to evaluate everything and try to come in tomorrow and figure out with the staff the things that we’re just coming up short on and figure out how to adjust those things. And I think it all starts with the staff, and then it goes to the players. So there needs to be accountability for all of it, and then we go from there.”

Oregon’s run of 38 unanswered points was one of the biggest talking points after the game. Ohio State had not given up that many consecutive points at home since 1999. Day admitted that the team did not expect the game to unfold that way, especially after its strong start.

Reporter: “38 straight points. That hadn’t happened to an Ohio State team since 1999. First of all, did you have any inkling that something like that could happen? And you had said something this week about leadership, and what we’ll see Saturday is basically what your message was. Was it a failure of leadership? Where is leadership on this team?”

Ryan Day: “Yeah. No, we didn’t expect any of this to happen. I thought the way that we came out was how we thought we would play in this game. And then once the momentum swung, we weren’t able to stop that and then swing it.

“And I talk all the time about if you have momentum, then you’ve got to keep it. If you don’t, you’ve got to go get it, and you go get it with making one play. And we weren’t able to do that.

“And so, no. I mean, I’m not going to sit here and say point fingers at one group of guys that are coming up short, because we’re all coming up short. And again, it starts, you always have to look yourself in the mirror and figure out what is going wrong here. Two weeks in a row to get this type of result, there’s something that needs to change and needs to get fixed.

“And so we’ve got to look at all those things and figure out what that is, knowing that we do have a young quarterback here. And how does that all play into everything that we’re doing? So that’s what we’ll do.”

Day also spoke about the offense’s inability to put together consistent drives over the past two games.

Reporter: “This offseason, you talked a lot about you got old in the portal. You had experienced coaches, coordinators, brought in Robbie Disher. But it seems like this year, when something goes bad, it’s snowballed. Texas, USC, obviously today, too. Why do you think that is? Is it a mix of a loss of a message? Or is it just something’s not hitting right at the right time?”

Ryan Day: “Yeah, I mean, if I was out there and I saw guys not giving effort and didn’t have a good look in their eye, I don’t think that that’s the case. But we’re not able to make that play to kind of stop it and change it.

“And I think on offense, it’s really just finding ourselves getting into a rhythm. I think there’s two games in a row, there’s just really been no rhythm on offense. Positive runs, completions. You connect on some third downs, and you keep the thing moving. We were able to do that, I think, on the first couple of drives. And that was good.

“But other than that, it’s just there’s really been no rhythm there. And so we haven’t been able to sustain anything. There’s just been too many mistakes.

“And I think that’s led to a lot of it. And then I think if you combine the last couple of games on defense, the number of explosive plays has really hurt us.”

Ohio State’s special teams also came under the spotlight after Oregon’s fake punt changed the course of the game. Day was asked whether his coaching staff had done enough to give the Buckeyes an advantage in those important moments.

Reporter: “You have two experienced coordinators. You brought in a new special teams coach this year. You’re an experienced coach. I’m not just talking about trick plays, but you think about their fake punt, you think about their play on the last play of the first half. Where do you and your staff bring a strategic or schematic advantage to your team to try to win in the margins with things like that or something else?”

Ryan Day: “No, you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. I thought they did some good things there. And it is. It’s our job to figure out how we can put our guys in a situation to be successful. And creativity is one of them.

“And I can’t sit here coming out of these last two games and say we’ve done a good enough job in those areas.”

He was also asked whether the defensive struggles came down to the scheme, coaching, or the players on the field. Day did not want to make a final judgment immediately after the loss.

Reporter: “When you were preparing this week, when you looked at the defense, and you always say scheme, coaching, personnel, which of those did you think was hampering the defense the most? Which one did you think, first blush tonight, was the issue?”

Ryan Day: “I mean, probably all three, yeah. But again, sometimes you come off the field and you’re emotional about what you say. And then you get on a film and you realize that maybe it’s a little bit different than your perception when you walk off the field.

“So before I dive into that, I’d like to step away for a quick second and then look at it on the film and figure out what exactly, where the focus in those three areas needs to be put.”

Luke Fahey had another challenging outing in his second career start. The freshman finished with 360 passing yards and two touchdowns, but Ohio State struggled to keep its offense moving once Oregon took control. Day acknowledged that Fahey made mistakes, but he also pointed out that the young quarterback was put in some difficult situations.

Reporter: “Luke’s a young guy. Are you happy or pleased with how you brought him along during these few weeks? What can you do differently? What needs to change? Because it’s a little spotty.”

Ryan Day: “It’s spotty, yeah. I think the kid’s trying his tail off. It’s a tough spot to be in for a true freshman. But the expectation is to come in and play and win.

“But again, I still think we put him in some tough spots again. My feeling right now is that we got to do a better job of not putting him in those two games in a row where he’s out there battling. And he missed throws. He made some mistakes for sure. But that’s his second start ever against a really good team.

“And that team right there has as much talent as there is in the country. And if we’re not going to run the ball consistently and give him easier throws and, again, put him in better situations, then things like this can come up.

“But I feel like we know how to bring a young guy along. But these last couple of games have been frustrating for sure. And I think, ultimately, it comes back on us that is surrounding him. I think he’s trying like heck.”

The defeat leaves Ohio State with plenty to figure out as the season moves forward. Day was asked how the team would respond after falling to three losses, especially with the expectations that come with playing at Ohio State.

Reporter: “This is the first time you’ve had three losses in a season. You’ve talked about the expectations here. It’s kind of looking like a playoff, Big Ten championship, or probably long shots at this point. Where do you guys go from here moving forward the rest of the season?”

Ryan Day: “Right. Not someplace we thought we’d be. Beyond disappointed, understand what the expectations are. It’s like the first thing when you join our program is you understand what the expectations are.

“I mean, your expectation to win every game here. So to win or to lose three games is unacceptable. And I own that. And that’s never going to change from my point of view. And so it doesn’t matter what the situation is. It doesn’t matter what the scenario is. That’s just what it is.

“So I just told the team in the locker room that now we’ve got to weather the storm. It’ll be a storm here, something that none of us are used to at Ohio State. And we’re going to come together tomorrow. We’ll have a team meeting. And we’ll figure out what’s next.”

Ohio State now has to regroup and prepare for its next game against Northwestern. The Buckeyes still have football left to play, but the loss to Oregon has made their path to the College Football Playoff much more difficult. Day and his staff will need to find answers quickly, especially with the offense struggling to find consistency and the defense giving up big plays. For now, the focus in Columbus is on reviewing the mistakes, taking responsibility, and finding a way to get the season back on track.