INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Trailing by double digits against a championship-level opponent with talent, Ohio State’s football coach took a fourth-down risk in the second quarter. It didn’t work. And the Buckeyes were done. That was Jim Tressel’s risk in the National Championship game against Florida 13 years ago, not Ryan Day’s risk against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday night. Tressel’s didn’t work. Day’s did. Other than that, the similarities are clear, especially when it comes to the strategy behind it. Against an opponent that could at least challenge the Buckeyes on talent (Florida more so than Wisconsin, obviously) an OSU coach with a team on the ropes was looking for something to get his guys going. “We felt like we needed it at that point,” Day said of the fake punt that the Buckeyes executed in the second quarter. “Kind of had to get a spark going.”…
Continue Reading: Comparing Ryan Day and Jim Tressel fourth-down risks to see how aggressive Ohio State might be in the playoff
