Ohio State Fires Special Teams Coordinator After Oregon Loss

Ohio State coach Ryan Day fired special teams coordinator Robby Discher on November 9, following the Buckeyes’ 41-28 defeat by Oregon. Discher had joined the staff this offseason after three seasons in the same role at Illinois. He had coached nine games at Ohio State.

A fake punt proved pivotal in Saturday’s game. With Ohio State ahead 14-3, Oregon went for it on fourth-and-9 from its own 31-yard line. Teitum Tuioti, a defensive lineman, received the ball and passed to Matayo Uiagalelei, who gained 30 yards. Oregon scored on that drive, launching a run in which the Ducks tallied 38 points in a row.

The firing followed a 44-yard punt return allowed by Ohio State and three special teams infractions during a 30-18 defeat against USC a week earlier. Day said after the Oregon game that the staff and players needed to be held accountable, and that he would assess what needed to change. He also criticized the penalties, saying coaches had to examine why they were occurring.

Ohio State was ranked 102nd nationally in special teams efficiency. Discher’s two-year contract runs through next season, and he could be owed more than $500,000 in severance.