ArcaMax

The traditional rivalry week of the college football season unfortunately concluded with some ugly visuals. Brawls broke out at the end of the Ohio State-Michigan game along with fights after wins by Arizona State, Florida and North Carolina State. Attempts by the victorious road teams to plant school flags on their opponents' fields triggered ire, as this is viewed by players defending their home turf as the worst sign of disrespect. For Ohio State, emotions were demoralizing and extremely painful after suffering a fourth straight loss to the team up north, as we say in Buckeye land. My heart broke for the 11 seniors who came back to beat the Wolverines and get a pair of gold pants, the jeweled prize for Buckeye players winning "The Game." Ohio State coach Ryan Day has an overall record of 66-10, but his failure to dominate Michigan is considered his glaring shortcoming by many Buckeye faithful. As the cameras panned to Day standing on the sidelines as the scuffles intensified between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, he looked dazed, wearied and broken.

This will be a lasting image from "The Game" along with the field melee, but there are two other noteworthy photos from the Horseshoe that did not get much national headline traction, two photos which I believe illustrate the integrity of the football culture Day has established. In the first one, four players -- one from Michigan, three from Ohio State -- knelt to pray in the midst of their teammates fighting. The Michigan player appeared to be running back Donovan Edwards, who has shared his faith in Christ in numerous online news and social media interviews. I came across an interview with Edwards on the podcast "The Walk," where he talked about his friendship with TreVeyon Henderson, referring to the Buckeye captain as a "man of the Lord." The second photo showed Henderson kneeling and leading his teammates in prayer. When thinking about some of the troubling displays of unethical conduct in college football this year, such as the "gun-shooting" celebration by a South Carolina player in an October matchup against Ole Miss, seeing these young men pray shows the dignity of their character and that they value sportsmanship.

Day may have to lean heavily on his players who display resilient faith in God to get through the extreme aftermath of this crushing upset win by Michigan. This year's loss is particularly infuriating to many OSU fans due to the Buckeyes being almost three-touchdown favorites at home over a Wolverine squad barely eligible for a postseason bowl. And with the much-reported $20 million spent in name, image and likeness deals to put this OSU roster together, Day's seat is getting very hot. As a Buckeye fan and alumna, I understand the frustration in not beating Michigan. However, I also look at the intangibles of a coach. Being an OSU faculty member, one thing that is especially important to me is graduation rates. Ohio State football has a graduation success rate of 89%, according to recent NCAA data. The GSR metric includes transfers and mid-year enrollments. Considering that elite players in Power 4 conferences often leave for the NFL after their third year, this is an impressive number for Ohio State and shows that academics are important to Day, something that I do not think he receives enough credit for. I have also noticed the sound leadership Day has provided when his players have faced difficult challenges off the field. There was strong support for wide receiver standout Carnell Tate when he lost his mother to a tragic Chicago shooting last year. Day was also able to be a mentor for former offensive lineman Harry Miller, who contemplated suicide but was able to confide in his coach. Miller retired from football in 2022 and is an inspiring mental health advocate. Day has made promoting mental health awareness a part of his personal mission at Ohio State, and he played a significant role in saving Miller's life. This is ultimately worth more than beating the Wolverines or winning a Big 10 championship.

We have gotten to the point in college football where money and winning at all costs dominate the culture of the sport. Of course, winning is a substantial factor in evaluating a coach's performance at a major school like Ohio State, but a coach like Day being excoriated when he has meaningfully impacted his players' lives and is consistently in the hunt for a national title sets a troubling precedent.

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Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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