3 Things Ohio State Must Fix This Week To Beat Texas Again

Ohio State's trip to Austin on September 12 is the kind of game that decides how a season is talked about before October even starts.

The Buckeyes stole the spotlight last year by knocking off the top-ranked Longhorns in Columbus, a win that helped carry them all the way to No. 1 in the country. Now Texas gets its shot at revenge on its own turf, and both programs enter 1-0 after comfortable Week 1 wins.

If Ohio State wants to leave Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium with a second straight win over the Longhorns, three things need to go right: the offensive line has to hold up, the defensive front has to find a pass rush, and Jeremiah Smith has to finally break through against a secondary that has owned him.

The Offensive Line Has to Protect Julian Sayin

Ohio State's offensive line is genuinely one of the better units in the country. Four starters are back, the group earned a Joe Moore Award midseason nod a year ago, and interior players Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman and Austin Siereveld may be the best trio in college football. Against Ball State in Week 1, that line helped Julian Sayin complete 21 of his final 23 passes and gave the offense the room it needed to roll up 56 points.

Even with that impressive interior offensive line, there are real question marks heading into Austin, as Ohio State gave up two sacks to Ball State. Texas presents a completely different level of competition than a MAC opponent. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's front got after Texas State even in a blowout win, racking up eight tackles for loss and a pair of sacks despite playing with a big lead for most of the game.

Muschamp's defense is built to be aggressive up front, and that aggression will be a much sterner test for Ohio State's tackles and interior linemen than what they saw in Week 1. Keep an eye out for how Ohio State left tackle Ian Moore fares against Texas' Colin Simmons; Simmons is being projected as a top 2027 NFL Draft prospect.

The Ohio State Defensive Line Needs to Find a Pass Rush Versus Arch Manning

This might be the single biggest swing factor in the game. Ohio State's defense was historically good in 2025, allowing the fewest passing yards per game of any team since 2014 en route to the No. 1 scoring defense in the sport. Unfortunately, many of the players responsible for disrupting opposing offenses in 2025 are now suiting up for NFL teams.

Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is back and is the clear centerpiece of the group, but was unable to get any sacks in the season opener. Jackson was rarely the focal point of opposing protection plans in 2025; that won't be the case in 2026. Teams are going to slide protection his way and chip him with backs and tight ends, which means someone else — whether it's Zion Grady, Beau Atkinson, maybe even true freshman Khary Wilder, who flashed against Ball State - to win one-on-one snaps to keep the pressure numbers respectable.

That matters enormously against Arch Manning, who is mobile enough to extend plays and has the arm to hurt a defense that can't get home. Manning is coming off an impressive four touchdown performance against Texas State, but to be fair, Ohio State's Matt Patricia was able to confuse Manning in the 2025 season opener, and probably has some defensive fronts and blitzes that he deliberately did not use versus Ball State.

If Ohio State's front seven can generate pressure with four rushers and force Manning into quick, uncomfortable decisions, it takes enormous pressure off a defensive back seven that is breaking in several new starters.

Can Jeremiah Smith Finally Have a Big Game Against Texas?

This may come across as sour grapes, especially after Jeremiah Smith's tremendous performance versus Ball State in only one half of game action. No individual matchup carries more intrigue than this one. Jeremiah Smith has been the best player in college football for two seasons running, but Texas is the only program that has ever really slowed him down. Across two previous meetings — the 2024 Cotton Bowl semifinal and last year's regular-season opener — Smith has been held to just seven catches, 46 yards, and no touchdowns, numbers that look nothing like the rest of his college resume.

The blueprint Texas has used is consistent: keep a safety over the top of Smith's side of the field, use a cornerback in tight coverage underneath, and bracket Smith with a safety whenever Ohio State lines him up in a way that invites it. It's an approach that takes discipline and numbers, and it has worked twice.

The counter for Ohio State is to make Texas pay for devoting that much attention to one receiver. If Sayin has time from a clean pocket, the Buckeyes have enough other options — Brandon Inniss, Devin McCuin, Bo Jackson out of the backfield — to make single coverage elsewhere hurt. But at some point, Ohio State needs Smith himself to win a rep or two against that bracket, whether on a contested deep ball or a broken-tackle short catch that turns into something bigger.

Given how much respect Texas's defense has earned by shutting him down twice, a big game from Smith here would say as much about how far he's grown as a route runner and separator as it would about the final score.

The Bottom Line

Ohio State has a talented roster, but Texas is a program that has burned the Buckeyes before with disciplined coverage and an aggressive front. Win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and get anything resembling a normal game from Jeremiah Smith, and Ohio State should leave Austin 2-0. Fail on any of those three fronts, and Texas could finally get their revenge in primetime in arguably the most difficult game on Ohio State's 2026 schedule.

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