Ohio State Buckeyes most to blame for shocking College Football Playoff loss to Miami

One year after winning it all, Ohio State’s back-to-back national title bid fell short with a loss to Miami in the first round of the 2025-2026 College Football Playoffs. The Buckeyes are now back to square one, with head coach Ryan Day back under the microscope.

With Julian Sayin, Bo Jackson and Jeremiah Smith all slated to return in 2026, Ohio State still has a lot to look forward to. Still, their chance to make history in what initially seemed like a dominant season instead ends with a two-game losing streak.

Many college football fans are quick to blame the first-round bye, which Ohio State earned as a top-four seed. The three-week layoff caused all four top seeds to lose in the first round in 2024, and the Buckeyes became the first team to lose under the same circumstances in 2025.

That argument has some evidence backing it, albeit a small sample size. Regardless, Day’s team entered the Cotton Bowl as nearly a double-digit favorite and got run over in almost every aspect of the game. Aside from a decent third quarter, Ohio State was outplayed and outcoached across the board on Wednesday night.

While the Buckeyes would love an opportunity to redeem themselves, they now have eight long months to dwell on the loss before returning to the field. Ohio State fans can blame a few critical mistakes before and during the game for the team’s season ending the way it did.

Jayden Fielding’s persistent struggles doom Ohio State

Ohio State had been flawless nearly all season with one key exception. The Buckeyes were never able to get their kicking situation under control for the second consecutive season, and it ultimately cost them their 2025 season.

Kicker Jayden Fielding was one of 10 starters who returned from the championship-winning team at the beginning of the year. However, Fielding was easily the weakest link of the 2024 squad after hitting just 76.5 percent of his field goals on the year.

Fielding improved marginally in 2025, but he still made just 80 percent of his field goal attempts. His biggest miss came in the Big 10 Championship Game, when he hooked a 27-yard attempt that proved to be fatal in the 13-10 loss.

Ryan Day admitted that he gave an additional look at backup kicker Jackson Courville during bowl practice, but he doubled down on Fielding as his guy. His commitment backfired, as Fielding missed his only field goal attempt of the game, a 49-yard kick at the end of the first half.

At first glance, losing three points does not seem like a big deal in a 10-point loss. But had Fielding made the routine kick, it would have at least given Ohio State points in the first half. The Buckeyes would have also entered the fourth quarter with a 17-10 deficit to close instead of the 17-7 hole they found themselves in.

The entire complexity of the game could have changed with Fielding on Ohio State’s final play of the first half. Instead, he let them down for the second consecutive game, and Buckeyes fans cannot wait for a new placekicker to take over in 2026.

Ohio State offensive line was not up for the task

Fielding’s miss, as big as it was, only occurred on one play. Conversely, Ohio State’s offensive line faltered all game, consistently forcing Julian Sayin into difficult positions against an elite Miami defensive line.

Ohio State’s offensive line was not tested much in the regular season and kept Sayin clean enough to threaten the college football all-time completion percentage record. That all went down the drain in the Cotton Bowl when Sayin was pressured 22 times and absorbed five sacks. Rueben Bain, Akheem Messidor, Wesley Bissainthe and Marquise Lightfoot — the four biggest stars of Miami’s defense — all lived in the Buckeyes’ backfield all night long.

The sack count could have been much higher, but Sayin managed to avoid a few with his pocket presence and athleticism. Sayin certainly took a massive leap with his performance, but that was all that kept Ohio State afloat, no thanks to its putrid blocking effort.

Ohio State also struggled to get its run game going, generating just 45 rushing yards on the night. That was less on the offensive line and more on a lack of opportunities, but it merely added to the team’s struggles throughout the night.

Miami’s defense is certainly the most physical unit Ohio State has faced this season, but this was the type of dominant performance that entirely embarrassed the offensive line. Perhaps it was the layoff, but Sayin’s blockers were clearly not prepared for what the Hurricanes had in store.

Ryan Day’s last-minute change should never have happened

The biggest mistake Ohio State made that already has fans calling for Ryan Day’s job — again — came on the sidelines. For reasons only known to him, Day decided to reclaim play-calling duties ahead of the College Football Playoffs, even with offensive coordinator Brian Hartline still with the team.

Day’s reasoning for the decision was Hartline’s impending departure after accepting the vacant head coaching job at USF. He claimed he did not want Hartline to feel overworked and felt it was best to take over the job despite the Buckeyes’ year-long offensive success.

It is not as if Day is unqualified to call plays. He was a longtime offensive coordinator before getting promoted to head coach, and he called plays for the first five years of his tenure. There was just no reason for him to try and play hero ball at the 11th hour and mess with a system that had worked all year.

Sure, Hartline has been busy in the last few weeks, and coaches in similar positions have openly admitted how difficult pulling double duty is. But most of those coaches are forced into tight timelines during the traditional bowl season and do not have the luxury of the three-week layoff that Ohio State had.

Perhaps the result would have been the same either way, but it clearly messed with the Buckeyes’ offensive flow. It does not seem to be a coincidence that Day’s two best seasons as head coach have both come after he finally decided to relinquish play-calling to his offensive coordinator.

The post Ohio State Buckeyes most to blame for shocking College Football Playoff loss to Miami appeared first on ClutchPoints.