Ohio State opened Saturday like a team that understood the moment. The Buckeyes treated Oregon like a playoff opponent, jumped out fast, and controlled the first quarter at Ohio Stadium by outscoring the Ducks 14-0 and outgaining them 174-43. For a stretch, it looked a lot like the Rose Bowl version of this team.
Then the game turned hard, and Ohio State folded.
With 3:06 left in the first half, the Buckeyes were sitting on a 14-3 lead and had a chance to get the ball back and add to it before halftime, something they have done in almost every game this season. Instead, Oregon ripped the momentum away.
The Ducks dialed up a fake punt that completely fooled the Ohio State punt team, then turned that break into a touchdown drive. Ohio State got one more shot before the break, but on the third play of the drive, Luke Fahey forced an ill-advised throw into triple coverage to Devin McCuin, and Devin Jackson came away with the interception.
Oregon finished the half with the kind of burst that changes everything, taking the rest of the clock and punching in a touchdown on fourth and goal from the one-yard line to grab a 17-14 lead. It was a 14-0 run in the final 2 minutes.
Big, yes. Fatal, no.
The second half made it fatal.
Oregon took the opening possession of the third quarter and marched 75 yards in five plays to stretch the lead to 24-14, capped by Dierre Hill Jr.’s 48-yard touchdown run, where he broke three different tackles along the way. After that, Ohio State looked like a team that had little left to give. The Ducks scored 38 straight points, while the Buckeyes managed just 34 total yards until their final two drives, when the game had already slipped into desperation mode.
That kind of collapse goes far beyond one bad afternoon. The second-half showing, and the season as a whole, has crossed into territory that’s hard to excuse.
Ohio State came out sharp and intense, but once the game demanded more, the response disappeared. It looked like the Buckeyes expected Oregon to quit, because that’s exactly what they did themselves.
Fahey’s role only adds to the concern. It’s striking that he is Ohio State’s second option at quarterback, and his play has been completely unacceptable.
The transfer portal makes it harder to keep quarterbacks around, but everyone in the program knew the Buckeyes would need more from everyone once Julian Sayin went down. Instead, after a bye week to adjust, the effort has gone the other way.
The defense has offered almost no resistance over the last two weeks, and the offense has given its quarterback very little help beyond Jeremiah Smith.
Ryan Day’s future is now part of the conversation, and it’s not clear whether he will be Ohio State’s head coach next season. If he is back, the bare minimum would be changes to every offensive assistant except maybe Cortez Hankton. And if the team doesn’t care, the fans won’t either.
Saturday’s atmosphere could be telling. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ohio Stadium eerily empty next Saturday against Northwestern. If Ohio State loses again to a Wildcats team that was blown off its own field by Iowa, the conversation around this program is going to shift even more.
The Buckeyes still have a route to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff if they can win their final three games. But that path only matters if they start playing like a team worthy of it. Ohio State has no choice now but to regroup and meet its talent level over the final stretch, because if it doesn’t, no one’s job should be fully safe - players or coaches.
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Ohio State Just Saw Why This Freshman Could Change Everything
Anthony Thompson gave Ohio State a glimpse of what its freshman class might become in the first half against Marshall, scoring 10 points and helping steady the Buckeyes in an 84-74 win. With the schedule about to stiffen, that kind of early contribution matters even more for a team still trying to sort out its rotation and build the kind of chemistry that can hold up against better competition.
LJ Smiths scoreless night showed the other side of the freshman learning curve, and Ohio States defensive issues were also hard to ignore. The Buckeyes now turn to a much tougher test against fourth-ranked UConn, where the margin for growth will shrink quickly and the need for both freshmen to keep developing will be impossible to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Is Running Out Of Time To Fix A Costly Problem
Ohio State has made a clear move to address one of the seasons most frustrating issues, parting ways with special teams coordinator Robby Discher after nine games in 2026. The Buckeyes turned to Rob Keys as the interim coordinator for the rest of the year, while Matt Guerrieri and James Laurinaitis will help steer the punt and kickoff units, giving Ryan Day a reshuffled staff as the team tries to steady a phase that has repeatedly hurt it.
Day said there will not be any more coaching changes before the next game, but the evaluation process is still ongoing. That leaves Ohio State in a familiar late-season spot: trying to clean up a costly problem quickly, with limited time to see whether the new arrangement can bring order to a unit that has already given away too many damaging moments. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has More Riding On 2028 Offensive Line Recruiting
The loss to Oregon and the move on special teams coordinator Robby Discher put another spotlight on where Ohio State needs to steady itself, and recruiting remains part of that conversation. The Buckeyes already have a highly regarded 2028 class taking shape, and the offensive line is one of the areas drawing early attention as the staff tries to keep its long-term foundation strong.
Five-star tackle Antijuan Wilkes has already included Ohio State among his top eight schools, which is the kind of early traction the Buckeyes want at a premium position. Lincoln Faalafi also made a visit to Columbus, but the early read there points another direction, leaving Ohio State with work to do as it tries to turn promising contact into actual momentum up front. [Read more 🡒]