How did Ohio State football grade out against Texas?
Top-ranked Ohio State football had a strong first half against Texas (No. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll) but crumbled in the fourth quarter, allowing Texas to complete a 21-point comeback to win 24-23 on Sept. 12.
Ohio State’s offense tallied two touchdowns and two field goals in the first half, but posted just a field goal in the second half while going one for six on third downs.
Holding Texas to three points through three quarters, Ohio State’s defense allowed three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, giving up the game-winner with 25 seconds remaining.
See how the Buckeyes graded out below.
Jeremiah Smith sought revenge in his third game against Texas, and he would have gotten it if not for the team’s second-half collapse. Part of the reason for the collapse? Ohio State had no contingency plan beyond passing the ball to Smith.
Smith looked unguardable in the first half. He got involved early and often on Ohio State’s second offensive drive, whether lining up wide on the outside, catching short slants or operating behind the line of scrimmage.
Ohio State complemented Smith’s play with a gritty (though inefficient) run game led by Bo Jackson. When the Buckeyes approached the goal line, transfer running back Ja’Kobi Jackson took it to the house with an eight-yard touchdown. OSU led 10-0 after the first quarter.
Smith had more yards in the first quarter (48 yards) than he had registered in two previous matchups (46 yards) with the Longhorns combined. He continued to act as quarterback Julian Sayin‘s safety net in the second quarter. When Sayin was pressured on Ohio State’s fourth drive, he launched a 43-yard pass downfield to a wide-open Smith that led to a field goal.
After Texas turned over the ball on downs, Ohio State once again turned to Smith. Sayin made a pinpoint throw to Smith for a 19-yard touchdown pass, threading the ball between two defenders to cap off a tremendous 20-point half, in which Smith gained 110 receiving yards.
Texas and new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp made the right second-half adjustments. Smith had 54 yards after the break, all in the third quarter. Sayin was uncharacteristically inaccurate, completing a measly 5 of 16 throws for 86 yards in the second half.
There’s much work to be done. Ohio State has enough depth to be less one-dimensional, but on this night, only Smith and running back Bo Jackson had more than two receptions, and Jackson’s four catches came mostly on checkdowns. UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, who thrived in the season opener against Ball State, caught one pass for five yards. The team’s freshmen wide receivers were not involved in the game plan.
For as much good the run game provided in the season opener, the Buckeyes finished with 94 rushing yards on three yards per carry. They played turnover-free ball until the very last play of the game, when Sayin heaved a desperation pass that got tipped to Texas’ Graceson Littleton.
A good way to set the tone immediately on defense is with a takeaway on the first play. A better way to set the tone is with takeaways on the opponent’s first two possessions.
Just like in last year’s season opener, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia wasted no time rattling quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns’ offense. It started when true freshman cornerback Jay Timmons punched a ball out of Khaleel Brown’s arms and recovered the resulting fumble.
On Texas’ second drive, Manning tried to establish an early connection with UTSA transfer Cam Coleman with a deep pass. The ball was within Coleman’s reach, but it slipped from his grasp and fell gently into the hands of safety Jaylen McClain.
The takeaways helped build a 10-point Buckeyes’ lead at the end of the first quarter. OSU continued to disrupt Manning in the second quarter, although on their third offensive drive, Texas started to establish a run game led by the quick and elusive Hollywood Smothers.
In the second quarter, Texas wide receiver Ryan Wingo dropped a potential touchdown pass on a dart from Manning. Later in that same possession, Ohio State’s defensive line got to Manning, sacking the quarterback and forcing Texas to settle for a field goal. A series later, the Buckeyes got a key fourth-down stop, leading to a last-minute Ohio State touchdown.
As the third quarter progressed, Manning looked increasingly comfortable. He began playing with a loose energy, making plays off schedule with his legs and completing passes out of the pocket. Smothers started “smothering” the Ohio State defense, churning through hits to convert on short-yardage downs.
Texas’ final touchdown drive earned the win, but the backbreaker may have been the Longhorns’ 15-play, 91-yard drive that spanned from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth. It kept the Buckeyes’ defense on the field for six-and-a-half minutes, wearing Ohio State down.
Unlike Ohio State, Texas used multiple weapons. Manning connected with six different receivers three or more times, and the Buckeyes’ secondary was spread too thin in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State football kicker Connor Hawkins made his first three field goal attempts from 26, 30, then 48 yards. But when the Buckeyes needed it most, Hawkins hooked a crucial 45-yard try that would have put Ohio State up two scores. After Hawkins missed, it felt like the writing was on the wall.
Clutch kicks just don’t seem to go the Buckeyes’ way when they need them most of late.
Ohio State’s staff coached a good game through three-and-a-half quarters. Everything fell apart in the fourth quarter. Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s appeared to have no plan when OSU could no longer get the ball to Jeremiah Smith.
Matt Patricia’s defense rolled early but could not stop Texas after it picked up steam. The floodgates opened after Texas’ first touchdown drive.
That’s when both the offense and defense stalled. The Buckeyes had six first downs to Texas’ 17 in the second half.
And when Texas got to the one-yard line with 1:02 remaining, Ohio State had the option of allowing the Longhorns to score the touchdown. It would have given the Buckeyes around 50 seconds to put together an offensive miracle. But the defense stopped Texas at the goal line twice, draining more time off the clock.
So, Ohio State had just 25 seconds with the ball at the 25-yard line to march within field goal range. The Buckeyes had no timeouts at that point, and in the end, Sayin was forced to throw a desperation heave that Graceson Littleton picked off.
Had the Buckeyes let Texas score at the goal line, it would have given them double the time and a timeout for a better chance to score on the final drive.
For the general football fan, this game brought plenty of energy, big-time plays and the storylines of an instant classic. Whether it was highlight catches from Jeremiah Smith, Texas’ roaring comeback in the fourth quarter or the intense energy of the Austin crowd, the Ohio State-Texas game proved that marquee nonconference matchups need to remain a part of the sport.
As Texas alum Matthew McConaughey rightly said ahead of the game: “The rest of the globe is going to feel and know that that is the spot to be on the planet!”
McConaughey, along with several other Texas-affiliated celebrities, undoubtedly had a lot more fun than Buckeyes fans by the game’s end. Nevertheless, this was an instant classic and one of the most impressive comebacks in college football this decade.
The officials did make a few mistakes. There was a harsh call on cornerback Devin Sanchez for pass interference in the fourth quarter. On replay, Sanchez’s contact on intended receiver Jelani McDonald appeared to be very soft. With 5:39 in the first quarter, the play clock appeared to expire for the Texas offense, but no delay of game penalty was called. Overall, though, this was a well-called game.
Associated Press No. 1 teams were 197-0 entering when holding a 20-point lead at any point in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN. Texas broke the streak.
Arch Manning earned his signature win, a game that will greatly improve Texas’ odds of making the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns were far from perfect but showed the ability to fight through substantial adversity.
Final stats: 21 rushes for 74 yards, two touchdowns, three catches for 29 yards
Smothers wasn’t efficient, but he converted a majority of the Longhorns’ short-yardage plays and scored two goal-line touchdowns, including the game-winning score. Ohio State had no answer for the NC State transfer by the fourth quarter.
Though Oregon lost to Oklahoma State earlier in the day, the Buckeyes will have to head back to the drawing board to figure out a plan to beat the tough opponents on their schedule.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How did Ohio State football grade out against Texas?
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