Texas entered this game with pressure, but Ohio State faced a question of its own – would the Buckeyes play to win or not to lose? 

AUSTIN, Texas – Ohio State didn’t lose Saturday night because Texas controlled the game from start to finish. The Buckeyes led for most of the night, held the Longhorns to three points through seven possessions and entered the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead. Then everything changed.

That’s the conundrum Ohio State found itself in Saturday night in Austin following an all-time fourth-quarter collapse.

Ohio State could not have asked for a better start than back-to-back turnovers defensively. Jay Timmons forced a fumble on the first play of the game, and then Jaylen McClain intercepted a circus catch off of Cam Coleman’s body. 

From the first snap of the game, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes played to win. Until they didn’t. After establishing the run early, Ohio State jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Facing a 4th down-and-2, Day elected to go for it in the red zone. The Buckeyes didn’t convert, but it was an early indicator of the approach. 

Arthur Smith continued to open up the playbook, stretching the field vertically. Jeremiah Smith’s 19-yard catch is one of the game’s most underrated plays, setting up a touchdown. Ja’Kobi Jackson later capped off the 10-play, 81-yard drive with a 4-yard score. 

To close the first half, it appeared the Buckeyes would have to settle for a field goal. Connor Hawkins nailed his second of the day from 30 yards away, but Ohio State’s defense was out for blood. They forced a stop, leaving the offense with a minute to score. But would they?

Julian Sayin led the offense right down the field from the Texas 49-yard line. A massive third down catch by Brandon Inniss, followed by a touchdown by Jeremiah Smith, solidified that aggressive play calling would continue. Ryan Day was coaching to win. 

However, the script began to flip in the late third quarter as the Buckeyes grew more conservative in their play calling and stopped executing consistently. Julian Sayin was 5/16 for 86 yards in the second half after a stellar first half where he was 12/16 for 192 yards and a touchdown.

Jeremiah Smith finished with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, but he was held without a catch for the final 23:20. When Day and the staff examine why the offense stalled late, finding ways to keep their best playmaker involved should be part of that conversation.

Texas grabbed the momentum, scoring its first touchdown of the game early in the fourth and cutting the lead to 13. The fourth quarter is where the game slipped completely out of Ohio State’s hands. The Buckeyes seemed to lack answers defensively and stopped executing offensively. That combination ultimately cost Ohio State the game.

Texas outscored Ohio State 21-0 in the final quarter, posting 152 yards of offense compared to only 52 from the Buckeyes. Steve Sarkisian’s team converted 4 of 5 third downs and possessed the ball for 10:07. 

Ohio State won three of the four quarters of football in Austin, but playing on the road in a hostile environment means you have to finish. Ryan Day summed it up after the game. 

“I think today we played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter. That’s the bottom line. We stalled on some offensive drives, and I felt that we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish. So, we’ve got to go back and figure out why that was.” 

When Day and the staff point to reasons for the inefficiencies and poor execution, that will make the list. 

This loss also follows an eerie pattern for Day-coached Ohio State teams. Starting field position wasn’t an issue for the Buckeyes as they averaged their own 36-yard line. Texas, by contrast, began on average at its own 22. 

For much of the evening, the Longhorns were bottled up by Matt Patricia. Texas mustered just 116 yards of offense and 3 points on its first seven possessions. Then the dam broke loose, and Sarkisian’s offense posted 236 yards and three touchdowns on its final three drives.

Texas ran 35 plays in the fourth quarter, repeatedly extending drives with third-down conversions and missed tackles. The issue for the Buckeyes isn’t the loss. It’s how they lost and why it happened. A recurring theme is miscues on special teams. Hawkins made his first two kicks, but hooked a 45-yard attempt left in the fourth quarter – another example of the Buckeyes not being able to close the game. 

Ryan Day needs to identify the how and why if this team still wants to achieve any of its goals this season. Ohio State has now lost three of its last four matchups. The last time that happened (losses to Michigan State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech) was in 2013-2014 under Urban Meyer. 

Those Buckeyes fixed their problems and went on to win a national championship. Is this Ohio State team under Ryan Day ready to answer the bell? The ultimate question for Day and the Buckeyes is: how will they respond?

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