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Day owns Ohio State's lopsided loss to Michigan: 'It all comes back to me'

Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / Getty

No. 2 Ohio State head coach Ryan Day took accountability for his team's performance following a 45-23 loss to rival No. 3 Michigan.

"I don't know exactly what's next right now, but that's life at Ohio State. ... When you lose, it all comes back to me as head coach. And that's probably what hurts the most," Day said postgame, according to Eleven Warriors' Griffin Strom.

Day pointed to penalties on offense as a contributing factor in Saturday's loss. The Buckeyes also converted just five of 16 third-down attempts. While he credited the defensive front's performance in the first half, he said that the unit gave up "too many big plays" in the second half.

Ohio State's defense surrendered five touchdowns of 45 or more yards Saturday, including multiple breakdowns in the secondary.

"Certainly, there were breakdowns in the back end," Day said. "That was clear to see. … The floodgates kind of open up, and the game gets out of control. Should never have happened."

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy passed for 263 yards and four total touchdowns, while running back Donovan Edwards racked up 216 rushing yards along with two scores.

The Buckeyes' offense appeared to be clicking early after scoring 20 points before halftime. However, the Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes 28-3 in the second half. The victory marked the first time since 1999-2000 that Michigan secured back-to-back wins over its rival.

With the win, Michigan clinched the Big Ten East title and secured a spot in the conference championship game on Dec. 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Day sports a 1-2 record against Michigan, winning his first meeting in 2019. Despite suffering its first loss of the season on a big stage, Day remains optimistic about his team's fortunes if it's able to make the College Football Playoff.

"If we were able to get a shot in the top four, we'd be a dangerous team," he said.

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