As a — Ohio State taking umbrage at Michigan planting a victory flag at midfield of the Horseshoe — the Fox camera caught Ryan Day off to the side, wearing a look on his face that suggested, “What is happening?” It may prove to be the enduring image of this epic upset/collapse, depending on which side of Toledo border you reside. . Again. “I’m still trying to digest everything that just happened,” a shell-shocked Day said after his fourth consecutive defeat to the Wolverines. “[I have] a locker room full of guys who are just devastated ... There are a lot of guys who are crushed right now. There is nothing you can say at this point. You have to take the ownership of that and it starts with me.” The Buckeyes (10-2) will head to the College Football Playoff and may still go on to win a national championship this year but perhaps — — only that can answer for this disaster by Day. And the route to a title will be more arduous — no bye after failing to win the Big Ten (again), and maybe even a first-round road game. Michigan is headed to a meager bowl game at 7-5, but everything has been salvaged for first-year coach Sherrone Moore. They arrived as 19.5-point underdogs with a former walk-on, cancer-surviving quarterback who rarely throws the ball more than 10 yards in the air. Ohio State countered with a reported $20 million roster full of returning stars and portal kings, not to mention a coaching staff bolstered after hiring UCLA’s head coach (Chip Kelly) to call plays. It came with all the prerequisite focus that the Scarlet and Grey put on this rivalry — refusing to say the word "Michigan," X’ing out all the "M's" on campus, having Day compare his previous three defeats to the tragic death of his father. And yet in the end it was The Team, The Team, The Team from Up North. Again. “As you know, it isn’t easy to accept,” Day said. “I have to take the ownership and I am the one who makes the final decisions.” The second-ranked Buckeyes can’t blame this one on Jim Harbaugh. It can’t blame this one on Connor Stalions. They can’t chalk it up to, say, not being able to handle some all-time great such as Aidan Hutchinson or maybe that the law of averages finally played out and Michigan finally got one. This is four straight and this should have been a mismatch, a complete lopsided affair. The talent differential was stark. The seasons headed in different directions. Michigan quarterback Davis Warren — the aforementioned walk-on with an inspirational story — completed just nine passes for 62 yards and two picks. His longest went just 18 yards, caught by a receiver, Peyton O’Leary, who entered the game with just eight receptions and originally signed to be a lacrosse player at Massachusetts. That sounds like a story out of the MAC. Yet in the end The Game was the game — won by brute force and not recruiting rankings, by will and want, not NFL draft status. When the end of the season comes and the temperatures drop and the winds kick up, there aren’t a lot of tricks to be had. Michigan was again tougher, straight-up tougher. The Wolverines outrushed the Buckeyes 172-77, always the greatest predictor of success in this annual clash. Kalel Mullings had 116 yards all by himself. How Day hasn’t been able to address this, even acknowledging injuries to the offensive line, is what will haunt him until he does. “We just couldn’t control the game in the run game,” Day said. “The overall execution wasn’t good enough.” There was more, of course. Two interceptions, two missed field goals and zero sacks didn’t help. And a horrific 12-men-on-the-field penalty on Michigan’s final drive gave the Wolverines a first-and-goal and the chance to kill more clock. The nerves and pressure were at times one-sided, perhaps a sign not just of the losing streak but the unhealthy intensity Day puts on this game. By the end it was all too clear, even to disbelieving eyes everywhere. Ohio State was shut out in the second half and its last first down came with 5:59 in the third — the Michigan defense just shutting everything down as boos rained down on the Buckeyes and their coaches. Meanwhile Michigan pushed and pushed and overcame their own errors and turnovers and limitations and won again. Next year they welcome the No. 1 overall recruit and have upped their NIL recruiting game to match the money in Columbus. If there ever were a year for Ohio State to run it up, whip it up and celebrate it up, this was it. Ohio Stadium was packed and looking for revenge. By the end they were screaming at Day, who despite a 66-10 record is somehow on a hot seat that only a national title can cool. “Everyone wants to win this game in the worst way,” Day said. “No one wants to win it more than we do. It’s our No. 1 goal ... I don’t blame anybody for being upset.” That includes the Ohio State players who took great exception to Michigan trying to “plant” a flag on their logo postgame. A wild melee — complete with punches and pepper spray — ensued. A fight has broken out between Michigan and Ohio State after The Game — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) Whether you find it Michigan’s fault for the flag antics or Ohio State’s fault for showing more fight after the game than during it hardly matters. That it could happen again is what will linger beyond the volleys of “classless” behavior. “Those guys are trying to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” Day said. “This is our field and we are obviously disappointed we lost the game but we have some prideful guys on our team [that] just aren’t going to sit back and watch that happen.” “They got to learn how to lose, man,” Michigan's Mullings countered. The losing to Michigan part they have plenty of practice at and until Ryan Day learns how to win this game, even with a stacked roster, perhaps nothing can spare him.
6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils MozambiqueDelivering Optimized, Outbound-Focused Contact Center Solutions for Modern Businesses LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- outboundIQ www.outboundiq.com proudly announces its accreditation as a Five9 Certified Implementation Partner (CIP), a distinction that reflects its deep expertise in optimizing and streamlining outbound-focused contact center operations. With a team of seasoned Five9 veterans, expert programmers, and industry thought leaders, outboundIQ is uniquely equipped to help businesses of all sizes unlock the full potential of Five9's Virtual Contact Center platform. Optimized Solutions for Complex Contact Center Needs outboundIQ specializes in providing expedited, outbound-focused contact center implementations, integrating advanced features such as inbound and outbound Voice, SMS, Chat, Email, Salesforce Integration, and other third-party app integrations. 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Due to our methodology and proprietary automations, we are able to bring our customers' projects to life within accelerated timeframes." - Jessica Clay , VP Support and Services "We launched our business in June and were fortunate to connect with the incredible team at outboundIQ early on. Navigating the world of outbound calling and building efficient prospecting systems isn't easy, but the entire team at outboundIQ brought our vision to life seamlessly. They implemented our ideas quickly and executed them flawlessly. Since partnering with them, our contact rates have significantly improved, our conversions have increased, and our overall business is thriving. We're deeply grateful for this collaboration and look forward to continuing our work together on future endeavors!" - Tim, Lit Financial "I genuinely don't know enough ways to thank the entire outboundIQ team. I inherited a domain riddled with mistakes, tangled beyond belief, and I had essentially planned to scrap the whole thing and start over. That's when this team, led by Jessica Clay's brilliance, took over to understand exactly what I wanted to create and completely revitalized my domain. We are all beyond thankful as they continue to consult for us to this day and I see no reason to stop. Thank you, Jessica, Jason, Rudy, Bruno, Sandy and everyone who gets the pleasure of working with these domain geniuses!" - Michael, Lifetime Home Remodeling A Holistic Approach to Outbound Excellence Creating a competitive, consumer-focused outreach program requires more than just advanced technology. As outboundIQ explains, a thriving contact center functions like a high-performing racing team: outboundIQ's professional services team brings these critical elements together, ensuring clients achieve best-in-class outbound operations that prioritize consumer experience while maintaining a competitive edge. A Call to Collaboration With its new CIP certification, outboundIQ invites businesses to explore select partnership opportunities and projects to reimagine their contact center operations. Whether through expedited implementations or ongoing strategic consulting, outboundIQ is committed to driving measurable results for its clients. About outboundIQ outboundIQ delivers optimized, outbound-focused contact center implementations, combining years of Five9 expertise with cutting-edge strategies to help businesses achieve exceptional outreach outcomes. As a Five9 Certified Implementation Partner, outboundIQ provides tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of modern organizations. About Five9 Five9 is a digital enterprise's leading cloud contact center and software provider. The Five9 Intelligent CX Platform is reliable, secure, compliant, and scalable, designed to create exceptional personalized customer experiences. www.five9.com Media contact: Sandy Tafur Phone: 404-660-5314 mail: sandy@outboundiq.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outboundiq-achieves-certified-implementation-partner-cip-status-with-five9-302339797.html SOURCE outboundIQMike Wolfe's generous donation amid American Pickers co-star Danielle Colby's health battleJayden Daniels and the offense stalling have the Commanders on a three-game losing streak