Texas vs. Ohio State: The Matchups That Will Decide the Game

Which key battles will determine the early season clash between two of college football's premiere programs

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith talks to running back Legend Bey during Student Appreciation Day spring practice | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns will face the Ohio State Buckeyes for the third straight year in Week 2 of this upcoming season. They are hoping to reverse their recent trend of losing to head coach Ryan Day's squad.

Those losses came as results of losing down the field and in the trenches, and while both of those contests will once again be important, there are other battles which will determine this year's game.

Here are the matchups that will decide Texas' game against Ohio State.

Will Muschamp vs Arthur Smith

Texas Longhorns assistant head coach Will Muschamp after a game against the Rice Owls at Reliant Stadium | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Longhorns are entering their first season, at least since he left the position in 2010, under defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. The Buckeyes are entering their first year under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

The two are polar opposites.

Muschamp has spent 24 of the last 25 seasons coaching in the SEC. Smith, on the other hand, has spent all but one of his 20 seasons coaching in the NFL.

Muschamp runs a complicated, pressure-heavy defensive scheme focused on disrupting the passing game. Smith employs a ball-control rushing attack that seems archaic in the modern game.

For as different as they are, Muschamp and Smith have both fielded extremely successful units. Whichever of the two new play-callers is able to gain the upper-hand may just bring their team to victory.

The Texas Secondary vs Jeremiah Smith

It is almost impossible to overstate Jeremiah Smith's skill and ability at the wide receiver position.

The 6'3, 223-pound junior has already the led the Big 10 in receptions and touchdowns once and has led the conference in receiving yards twice. He was an All-American last season and finished sixth in Heisman voting.

However if any team has managed to keep Smith in check, its the Longhorns. Smith has put up just seven catches and 46 yards in two games against Texas, and his 6.6 yards per reception against the Longhorns is his lowest against any team.

That lack of production largely comes from the attention former defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski paid to Smith, often double-covering him or at least rotating coverages to his side of the field, which undoubtedly freed things up for the rest of Ohio State's offense.

If the Longhorns are going to beat the Buckeyes this year, they are going to need to keep a lid on Smith again while reserving enough defensive resources to stop Ohio State's other threats, like running back Bo Jackson. Texas' secondary is young and will face the biggest test of its season early against the best pass-catcher, if not player, in college football.

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