Podcast Summary: The Bill and Doug Show – Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: Will Brian Hartline still call plays? Ohio State prepares for the College Football Playoff
Date: December 7, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis (Blue Wire)

Overview

This episode centers on Ohio State’s transition into the College Football Playoff as the two-seed after an upset loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship. Doug and Bill break down the immediate aftermath—including insights from Head Coach Ryan Day’s Sunday press availability—focusing on who will call offensive plays, personnel usage, red zone struggles, and the team's overall mentality heading into the most critical part of the season.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Will Call Plays in the CFP? (02:30–11:14)

• Play-Caller Uncertainty:

  • Doug directly asked Ryan Day who called plays against Indiana and who will do so in the playoff. Day’s response: “The answer was sort of like what we've been doing... it is a group effort.”
    • Doug: “I don't necessarily take that as gospel, and Ryan Day has 20 something days here to change his mind...” (02:30)
  • Doug doubts the finality of this answer, suggesting Day could opt to call plays himself, especially given the time to self-scout and prepare.

• Brian Hartline’s Absence:

  • Hartline will be away from the team in Florida this week for job-related reasons and will miss the initial phase of CFP game planning.
    • Bill: "Ryan Day said they're going to start game planning this week without Brian Hartline. But then he will come back and they will integrate him into that game planning." (04:10)
  • The offensive staff will focus on self-scouting and personnel evaluation in Hartline’s absence.

• Doug’s Expectation:

  • Given the extra preparation time and Hartline’s temporary absence, Doug predicts Day will take over play-calling:
    • Doug: "My expectation is sort of that Ryan Day will be calling plays... It’s just hard for me to see a world where this dynamic works, especially when you have a head coach whose expertise is play calling." (07:36)

• Historical Precedent:

  • Day typically becomes more involved with play-calling in the postseason, which has shown positive results.
    • Bill: "That always changes a little bit [in the postseason].” (09:21)

Notable Quote:

“You can’t do that to one of the best assistant coaches in the country. You can do that to a guy who’s leaving.”
– Bill (09:21)

2. Personnel Decisions vs. Indiana (14:16–18:16)

• Heavy Tight End Usage:

  • Against Indiana, Ohio State relied unusually heavily on their tight ends—three played more snaps than the slot receiver.
    • Bill: “Three tight ends played more snaps than the slot receiver.” (14:59)
  • The plan, made well before the game, was to “get big and move them around,” but Indiana’s talent and scheme thwarted this approach.

• Receiver Depth Issues:

  • With Brandon Inniss banged up and few trusted receiver options beyond Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, OSU became a “two receiver team.”
    • Doug: “They look like a two receiver team right now.” (18:03)

• Game Planning Lessons:

  • The staff will spend the next week re-evaluating what works best for their personnel before cementing their approach for the CFP.

3. End-of-Half Clock Management (19:45–24:33)

• Questioned Conservative Approach:

  • Fans questioned the decision to methodically run down the clock before halftime against Indiana. Day explained the plan was to avoid giving Indiana any opportunity to score; with Ohio State’s poor third-down performance, avoiding a “disaster” was paramount.
  • Bill: “He did not second guess that... His point was we can't convert third downs. And so what we needed to do there was convert third down.” (20:40)
  • The approach was analytically sound but didn’t lead to the desired end-of-half points.

• Comparisons to Michigan Game:

  • Day in the past has admitted to mistakes with end-of-half management (e.g., vs. Michigan), but felt this Indiana approach was justified under the circumstances.

Notable Quote:

“They just mattered more in this [game]... not finishing the drives is not new.”
– Doug (34:26)

4. Red Zone Struggles and Game-Specific Issues (33:13–34:24)

• Persistent Red Zone Issues:

  • The hosts highlight Ohio State's recurring red zone inefficiency, which again turned up against Indiana.
  • Day cited a “specificity to the failures”—missed field goals and failed sneak—rather than a fundamental team flaw or lack of focus from an easy schedule.
    • Doug: "They're at 67, red zone touchdown percentage for the season. That's not where they want to be. They want to be at 75." (34:08)

• Team Mentality After Loss:

  • OSU responded to adversity by driving the length of the field twice after falling behind, but couldn't finish. This resilience reassures the hosts about the team’s playoff readiness.

5. Running vs. Passing Balance (27:48–30:19)

• Imbalance Vs. Indiana:

  • Ryan Day admitted “we probably should have run it more,” as Ohio State had more drop backs than handoffs.
    • Doug: "So it's more like 32 drop backs to 20 rushes. Yeah, that's probably not where they want to be." (28:06)

• Success Rate:

  • Despite not pounding the ball, when they did run, OSU had a 52% rushing success rate—a very solid figure against Indiana’s defense.

• Execution Woes:

  • Missed opportunities included running backs failing to break tackles when the play was blocked well.
    • Bill on Bo Jackson: “The guy like got a backhand grab, like falling past him and with his only free hand, like grabbed his thigh and spun him around...” (30:10)

6. Kicking Concerns (25:02–26:46)

• Clutch Performance Issues:
  • Day was blunt: “Everyone on the team has a job to do and Jaden Fielding has to do his. And in big moments, he hasn’t done it.” (25:26)
• Potential Changes:
  • The staff has considered other kicking options, but maintains realistic, measured support for Fielding—not the standard “we have full confidence” answer.

7. Team Psyche and Playoff Outlook (35:24–37:11)

• Different Headspace from Last Year:

  • Doug and Bill see this team as confident, focused, and less “broken” after their loss than the previous year, with the coaching staff feeling problems are fixable—not fundamental.
    • Doug: “I think they're still confident. They're mad they didn't play their best against Indiana, but they feel like their best can get them another championship.” (35:27)

• Historical Parallel:

  • Parallels drawn to the 2021 Georgia team which lost its conference title but rebounded to win the national title after a rematch, suggesting OSU’s destiny is still unwritten.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Who's Calling Plays:
  “I’d be lying if I said I 100% believed him in terms of what's going to happen moving forward.”
  – Doug (02:30)

• On Personnel Limitations:
  “They don’t have other people to put on the field… they're a two receiver team right now.”
  – Bill & Doug (18:03)

• On Game Planning Without Hartline:
  “The idea that Ryan Day and Tyler Bowen and Carlos Lachlan and Keenan Bailey and Billy Fessler… are going to sit here for a week and say, who are we? What do we do best? What do we want to change?”
  – Bill (06:42)

• On Red Zone Efficiency:
  “They're at 67% red zone touchdown percentage for the season. That's not where they want to be. They want to be at 75. It's a high bar.”
  – Doug (34:08)

• On Team Mentality:
  “There’s not a whole lot of soul searching going on. It's just like they got to play better. And I think that puts them in a much different position than they were a year ago.”
  – Doug (35:27)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:30: Who called plays vs. Indiana? Will Hartline still call plays in the CFP?
• 04:10: Hartline missing early game planning; OSU’s staff focuses on self-scouting
• 07:36: Should Ryan Day call plays in the Playoff? Comparison to regular season responsibilities
• 14:59: Tight end-heavy personnel vs. Indiana, wide receiver depth issues
• 19:45: Halftime clock management strategy explained
• 24:33: The “middle eight” and lost momentum
• 25:26: Day's candid assessment of kicker Jaden Fielding’s “big moment” struggles
• 27:48: Did Ohio State throw too much? Day laments imbalance
• 33:13: Red zone issues persist; are they systemic or situational?
• 35:27: Team mentality: this year vs. last after a late-season loss
• 37:11: National title hope: drawing parallels to 2021 Georgia

Conclusion

Doug and Bill provide a grounded, honest assessment of Ohio State’s situation heading into the College Football Playoff. There’s intrigue around the offensive play-caller, justified concern about personnel and red zone performance, but a shared belief that this team, led by an engaged and experienced Ryan Day, is still among the favorites for another national championship. The episode captures the tension, questions, and optimism enveloping Buckeye Nation at this pivotal moment.