Ryan Day didn’t spend much time pretending Ohio State’s opener changed the bigger picture. Beating Ball State was a clean start, but the Buckeyes have had Texas in view for months, and now Week 2 drops them into the kind of road game that can say plenty about where this team really stands.
Day made that clear after the 56-3 win.
“Obviously a great opponent,” Day said of Texas. “They have really good talent across the board, so going down there is something that we’ve been working towards and looking forward to.
They have a great program and a great team, so it’s going to be a great environment, but this is what we’re going to have to do this year when you look at our schedule. We’re going to have to go on the road and win games like this, so our offseason was all designed around this, so, it’s here.
Time to go prepare for these guys.”
That’s classic coach speak, sure, but it’s also hard to argue with the point underneath it. Ohio State knows what’s coming.
Austin is going to be loud, Texas is going to be dangerous, and the Buckeyes don’t get to ease into the season with a soft landing. If they want to chase a second national title in three years, these are the games they have to survive.
Texas made its own opening statement with a 59-7 win, and now the matchup everyone has been waiting for is here.
Ohio State enters as a small underdog, which only adds another layer to the challenge. Matt Patricia will need his defense ready for a Texas offense that brings the same kind of high-end talent Ohio State can claim on its own roster. Arch Manning and Cam Coleman are the names that jump out, and they have the kind of ability that can stress a secondary fast.
On the other side, Julian Sayin has to be sharper, and Jeremiah Smith has to keep playing like one of the best receivers in college football. The Buckeyes also need their run game to look nothing like it did in the first half against Ball State. That starts up front, where the offensive line has to come out with more force and fewer mistakes.
There were too many missed blocks in Week 1, and that won’t fly against a top-five opponent. Right tackle Phillip Daniels had a rough showing, and whether Ohio State changes the start rotation there will be up to Tyler Bowen and Day.
The bigger issue is simple: execution has to improve across the board. Legend Bey can’t afford mental errors, and both sides of the ball need to clean things up. Some opening-week rust was expected, but Texas is the moment when all of that gets tested for real.
Day said it plainly: the time to prepare is now. Ohio State has a big week ahead, and by Saturday we’ll find out a lot more about how serious this team is as a title threat.
In Other News...
Ohio State Faces A More Dangerous Texas Test Than Last Year
The rematch on the schedule already carries enough weight, but this one comes with a different feel for Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Texas are meeting for the third straight year, only this time it is in Austin at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, with ESPNs College GameDay on hand and the Longhorns carrying a 1.5-point edge. After the last two seasons gave both programs a fresh look at each other, the matchup now arrives with even more attention and a bigger stage.
For Ohio State, the challenge is not just the venue or the buildup, but the version of Texas waiting on the other side. Arch Manning gives the Longhorns a new layer at quarterback, while new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp adds a familiar edge to that side of the ball. For a Buckeye team used to measuring itself against the nations best, this one feels less like another early heavyweight game and more like a true test of how much has changed since the last time these teams lined up. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Kienholz Just Sparked An Ohio State QB Debate
Lincoln Kienholz spent enough time around Ohio State to know how unforgiving the quarterback conversation can be there, and his latest outing at Louisville gave the discussion a fresh jolt. In his debut against Ole Miss, the former Buckeye showed the kind of production that turns heads quickly, topping 300 yards and throwing three touchdowns while looking comfortable as both a passer and a runner.
For Ohio State fans, the appeal is obvious because it feeds into the never-ending question of what might have been and what the Buckeyes missed when Kienholz moved on. His path also says something about the fit in college football: sometimes a player needs a different setup, a cleaner runway and a coach like Jeff Brohm to let the full skill set show up on game day, even as the foundation built in Columbus still shapes how he leads and handles the position. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's QB Uncertainty Just Added Intrigue To The Game
Ohio State opened its season with a comfortable win over Ball State, while Michigan had a far less reassuring afternoon in a narrow escape against Western Michigan. That alone would have been enough to keep Buckeyes fans watching closely, but the storyline got more interesting when Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham left the door open on Bryce Underwoods status at quarterback, a notable twist for a position that usually settles the tone for the rest of the rivalry week chatter.
Underwoods uneven play has only deepened the questions around Michigans offense, and it carries extra weight because of what this game means beyond one Saturday in September. For Ohio State, any uncertainty on the other sideline only adds to the intrigue heading into a meeting where the Buckeyes will be paying attention to whether Michigan can steady itself, or whether the Wolverines are heading toward a bigger change than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]