Ohio State Has a Ryan Day Problem After Historic Collapse Against Texas

The Buckeyes Will Need To Figure Out How To Hold Ryan Day Accountable After His Questionable Decision Making Led To A Collapse in The Second Half of Saturday's Game.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been buzzing in the media for the wrong reasons after their 24-23 collapse to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. A team that felt they were deemed playoff-worthy by divine right after a championship run in 2025, rebuilding the team with a loaded talent pool. 

This perception of the Buckeyes has crumbled quickly after this loss to the No. 3 Longhorns; the Buckeyes have tanked in the rankings to No. 6.

Day may still have a shot at a spot in the playoffs, but they’re going to have to dig deep and work their way back up the rankings.

The noise around the Buckeyes is deafening, with fans and pundits alike blaming the Buckeyes and staff for their lack of execution, conservative calls, and inability to stave off Arch Manning and the Longhorns.

The Ryan Day Problem

Day has a record of 83-13 and one National Championship to his name as Ohio State’s head coach since Dec, 4th, 2018. He’s produced numerous NFL players throughout his career, as we’ve seen Chris Olave, CJ Stroud, Sonny Styles, Chase Young, and other past stars earn their way onto rosters easily. So what’s the issue?

He commented on Saturday that all offensive plays run through him, in coordination with Arthur Smith. So anything that happened has his thumbprints on the evidence. 

The Buckeyes’ decline came at the start of the second-half where Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns shut down key players in the offense.

Offensive Collapse

The Longhorns shut down wide receiver Jeremiah Smith after 110 yards and one touchdown. Following halftime, the momentum shifted, as Texas picked up the pace while the Buckeyes offense came to a crawl. 

In the second-half of the game, only kicker Connor Hawkins was able to score a field goal, giving the Buckeyes 3 more points. 

In the last 30 minutes of the game, the team was unable to convert in the red zone, as running back Ja’Kobi Jackson couldn’t score from a yard away in the first-half. The Longhorns defense was more than apt at shutting down Jackson again in the second-half at the 13-yard line on a 4th-and-2nd situation. 

Situations where Sayin failed to connect to Devin McCuin for a touchdown were part of the laundry list that plagued OSU players on Saturday. Sayin’s lack of ability to run led to him being sacked twice in the second quarter. These small errors led to the Buckeyes being pushed out of the red zone. 

Bo Jackson suffered a nine-yard loss after a toss play was another piece in the puzzle as to why the team failed to hold their own against their competitors. 

What’s Next For Ryan Day?

Ohio State’s next opponent is Kent State on Sept. 19th. 

Day and the Buckeyes can recover and learn from their mistakes against a weaker Golden Flashes team, whom they have a 3-0 record against (2002-2014). 

Arthur Smith and Day will have to hold players accountable for their mistakes, but they shouldn’t be pointing fingers away from themselves either, as they took their foot off the gas against the Longhorns. Ross Bjork and the front office need to keep evaluating the team down the stretch and seriously consider whether or not he's still the same fit for the team as he was in 2018.