Ohio State walked out of Saturday night with more than a loss to Texas. It left with a mess.
The Buckeyes had the game in hand after building a 23-3 first-half lead, then watched it unravel in what was described as the worst collapse in Ohio State football history. That kind of finish does more than sting. It tests whether a team can pull itself back together before the damage spreads.
Ryan Day now has to sort through a roster that, at least from the outside, does not look fully aligned after the defeat. That is the danger here: one ugly loss can become something bigger if the players do not respond the right way. Fans are already unhappy, and the concern is that the season could start slipping unless the locker room rallies around itself.
A few personnel decisions are already drawing heat. Legend Bey, one of the most exciting players on the roster, played only one snap on offense against Texas.
Khary Wilder, who had some strong moments on defense, was also barely used. Bey’s situation stands out because he has had an uneven start to his Ohio State career and has already been suspended by Day.
Bey transferred to Ohio State after leaving Tennessee and is a true freshman in a crowded running back room. He has talent, but he also has a lot to learn.
His opener included two major mistakes on special teams, and that clearly did not sit well with Day. That helps explain why he saw just one offensive snap against Texas.
Even with the setback, the season is not over. Ohio State can still absorb one more loss and remain in the College Football Playoff picture. The expectation around this team remains the same: national championship contention.
That is why the response matters so much. Ohio State won the national championship in 2024 after the loss to TTUN because the group came together and put the team ahead of individual goals. This roster needs that same kind of reset, especially with younger players who may not yet have that same mindset.
Day has to get the Buckeyes back on track, and quickly. For three quarters against Texas, Ohio State looked like the best team in the country.
Then it fell apart. Now the challenge is keeping one bad quarter from dragging the whole season with it.
In Other News...
Ohio State Has A Bigger Texas Concern Beyond Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith was the one Ohio State player who looked ready for the stage against Texas, and the grading reflected it. The freshman kept finding room when the Buckeyes needed it most, turning in the kind of performance that made him the clear focal point of the passing game while the rest of the offense struggled to keep pace.
The concern for Ohio State is what happened once Texas adjusted to him. Smith drew the defensive attention that comes with being the obvious threat, and the Buckeyes did not have enough complementary production elsewhere to make that shift pay off. If this offense is going to live up to the expectations around it, the answers have to come from more than one receiver. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Let One Slip Away In Brutal Collapse Against Texas
Ohio State had the kind of opener that can linger for a while, building a 20-point cushion on Texas before watching the game turn into a long second-half grind. The Buckeyes looked in control early against the Longhorns, but Steve Sarkisians group kept chipping away and eventually flipped the matchup into one of the more jarring results of the weekend.
Texas rally mattered not just because it beat No. 1 Ohio State, but because it did it with the sort of poise and resilience Sarkisian said was shaped by a lesson from Pete Carroll. For the Buckeyes, the loss leaves a brutal reminder that a big lead against a top opponent is only as safe as the next series, and for Texas it was a breakthrough comeback that will follow the team for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Texas Loss Just Sparked A New Respect Debate
Ohio States season-opening trip to Texas ended in a one-point defeat, but the reaction in the AP poll was far less severe than some might have expected. The Buckeyes slid only one spot to No. 3 on the ballot, a move that reflected how closely the game was played and how much respect remains for both programs after a matchup between teams viewed as among the nations best.
The bigger point behind the ballot was consistency, with the ranking change calibrated against how other top teams looked in Week 1. A narrow road loss to a top-ranked opponent did not carry the same weight as shakier performances elsewhere, which is why the Buckeyes stayed near the top instead of tumbling further down the poll. [Read more 🡒]