Ohio State Has One Thing to Prove Against Kent State After Texas Loss

The Buckeyes should be thirsty for revenge after an epic letdown last week against the Longhorns.

Sep 12, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) makes a pass against the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ohio State Buckeyes have no way to live down what happened last Saturday in Austin, this week against Kent State. 

Barring a National Championship this year, including a victory over Texas in a playoff rematch, this one will sting for years to come. 

What the Buckeyes need is a sense of payback, and that can only happen if Ohio State manages to correct their biggest flaw from the previous match -- the offense can’t take their foot off the gas pedal until the game clock counts down to zero. 

It doesn’t matter if the Buckeyes enter the fourth quarter against the Golden Flashes up by 6 or up by 60. Head coach Ryan Day’s team has to be able to keep the chains moving and the scoreboard rolling through the fourth quarter, no matter what. 

Last week’s late-game collapse was mainly pinned on the Buckeyes offense, which managed just 3 points after halftime. Ohio State went three-and-out twice and missed a field goal during the second half, and just one of the team’s drives after the second quarter surpassed 3:00 in time of possession. That’s not even counting a hopeless interception in the waning seconds. 

Meanwhile, Texas put together touchdown drives of 6:28, 5:32 and 3:51 in the fourth quarter alone, leaving the Buckeyes’ defense panting and wincing.

Why Ohio State can’t let the tempo drop against Kent State

The Golden Flashes are by no means on the same level as the Longhorns. That’s not important here. 

The Buckeyes need to convince themselves that they can offer four full quarters of elite offensive football, no excuses. They need to be able to score points on every drive and dictate the pace of the game. And the offense needs to do a better job of protecting the defense. Finally, this program has to shake off the fact that they have lost three out of their last four games, which is just a brutal skid considering the talent on this roster. 

Yes, Ohio State needs to consider that the most difficult part of their schedule is waiting up ahead, and you don’t want to lose key players to injury this early in the season. But this is about more than just the big name players. Every single player with an Ohio State uniform is responsible for keeping the tempo high all game long, including second- and third-stringers.

Kent State is in the unenviable position of having to travel to Columbus to face Ohio State as a -52.5 underdog right after the program’s worst letdown in years. But the Buckeyes just can’t afford to waste this opportunity to get the ball rolling again in a scandalous way.