Ohio State, Oregon and Oklahoma Reveal College Football's Biggest Week 2 Problems

Ohio State, Oregon and Oklahoma entered Saturday ranked inside the top 11. All three left with losses that exposed different kinds of problems.

Ohio State's coaches became too cautious while protecting a 20-point lead at Texas. Oregon's experienced defensive front could not control an injury-depleted Oklahoma State offensive line. Oklahoma moved the ball on the ground against Michigan, then repeatedly abandoned its running backs.

Those distinctions matter because the solutions are not equally simple. Ohio State can change its approach immediately. Oklahoma needs its offensive coordinator to reconsider how he calls games. Oregon faces the most difficult problem because the players responsible for fixing it are already on the field.

Ryan Day and Ohio State's staff

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the field before the game against the Ball State Cardinals at Ohio Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas deserves credit for completing a 20-point comeback, but Ohio State's decisions helped create the opening.

The Buckeyes led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter. They held the ball for only 4:53 and ran 11 plays during the final period. Texas ran 27 plays and scored three touchdowns.

That imbalance developed because Ohio State stopped playing with the aggression that built its lead.

Julian Sayin completed 12 of 16 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He went 5 of 16 for 86 yards and an interception after halftime. The Buckeyes attempted only one power run all night and failed to convert it.

Ohio State also passed on 11 of its 15 late-down snaps, allowing Texas to anticipate what was coming. An offense with Jeremiah Smith, Bo Jackson and an effective play-action game became increasingly predictable as the lead narrowed.

That placed more pressure on Matt Patricia's defense. Texas averaged 11.39 plays and 58.05 yards per drive. Ohio State averaged 7.30 plays and 41.40 yards. The Longhorns eventually ran 76 offensive plays, 13 more than the Buckeyes.

Patricia's early game plan had worked. Ohio State disguised its fronts, varied its pressure and held Arch Manning to 15-of-26 passing for 113 yards and an interception through three quarters.

The approach changed late. Ohio State relied more heavily on three- and four-man rushes, giving Manning additional time to work. He completed 8 of 11 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Texas also controlled the short-yardage situations that Ohio State needed to win. The Longhorns converted seven of their nine power runs. The Buckeyes stopped only 5 percent of Texas carries for no gain or a loss.

Some of that decline can be connected to fatigue. Ohio State's offense could not sustain possessions, leaving the defense on the field for most of the fourth quarter. But the Buckeyes also became less aggressive before exhaustion could fully explain the collapse.

Ryan Day failed to maximize two early scoring opportunities. He settled for a 26-yard field goal on fourth and goal from the 7. Ohio State later turned the ball over on fourth and 2 at the Texas 13.

Those decisions did not determine the result by themselves. However, they left points available in a game ultimately decided by one.

"I thought we had them on the ropes and didn't finish," Day said. "I can't sit here and tell you I know why that happened, but we all gotta take accountability and get this thing corrected and fixed moving forward."

Ohio State outgained Texas 372-338 and averaged 5.90 yards per play to the Longhorns' 4.45. The Buckeyes had enough talent and production to win.

Their approach changed, and the game changed with it. The solution starts with trusting the offense to keep attacking instead of asking the defense to protect a shrinking lead.

Oregon's defensive line at Oklahoma State

Oregon defensive lineman A'Mauri Washington is considered a first-round NFL draft prospect. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon's defensive line was expected to become the foundation of a national championship contender. Instead, Oklahoma State controlled the line of scrimmage despite missing its starting left tackle and playing much of the game without its starting center.

The Ducks brought back every defensive line starter from last season. Teitum Tuioti started all 15 games in 2025 and led Oregon with 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Matayo Uiagalelei recorded six sacks.

A'Mauri Washington tied for the national lead among defensive linemen with eight passes defended. He reportedly returned despite receiving a second-round NFL draft grade. Bear Alexander also announced in December that he would play another season.

Oregon entered the year with experience, talent and depth up front. That group still produced zero sacks and only one rushing tackle for loss against Oklahoma State.

The problems were most visible in the middle.

Oklahoma State ran 37 times for 254 yards, averaging 6.86 yards per carry. Twenty-two of those attempts went up the middle for 161 yards. Washington and Alexander were supposed to close those interior running lanes, but the Cowboys consistently created space between the tackles.

Oregon's linebackers and defensive backs failed to limit the damage once runners cleared the line. Oklahoma State gained 132 highlight yards and averaged 6.95 yards per rushing opportunity. Those numbers measure what a ball carrier produces after getting beyond the initial blocking battle.

Drew Mestemaker also faced little pressure. He ran six times for 109 yards, including a 75-yard gain. He later scored on a 10-yard keeper on third and 8 during the fourth quarter.

Oregon's defense created two turnovers, giving the Ducks chances to overcome their problems. D'Antre Robinson tipped a pass that Devon Jackson returned 96 yards for a touchdown. Uiagalelei also intercepted Mestemaker in the second quarter.

Those plays were not enough. Oregon stopped Oklahoma State on only 14 percent of its possessions and allowed 48.43 yards per drive. The Ducks lost by eight to a program that finished 1-11 last season and opened this year with a loss to Tulsa. The Cowboys are a program on the rise, but the stats show they outclassed Oregon across the board.

"Obviously, the first two games weren't up to our standard," Tuioti said. "Now there's a problem, and we've gotta fix that problem."

The concern extends beyond one poor performance. Oregon recorded three sacks and eight quarterback hits against Boise State in Week 1, but its defensive front struggled as the game progressed. Boise State found more room on the ground during the second half.

Oklahoma State attacked the same weakness with much greater success.

Two games do not define an entire season, but they have established a clear plan for future opponents. Oregon still has road games against USC and Ohio State, along with home matchups against Washington and Michigan.

Each team will test the middle of Oregon's defense until the Ducks prove they can hold up. Scheme changes and different rotations could help, but the returning starters must begin winning individual matchups.

Oklahoma's offensive line and running backs

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle during football practice for the OU Sooners at the stadium practice fields in Norman, Okla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma's offensive line received much of the blame after a 17-10 loss at Michigan. The full picture is more complicated.

The Sooners struggled in pass protection and committed costly penalties. Their run blocking, however, was effective enough to give the offense another path forward.

Oklahoma averaged 3.31 line yards per carry, compared with Michigan's 3.04. Half of the Sooners' 26 rushing attempts gained at least four yards. Only 38 percent of Michigan's runs reached that mark.

Oklahoma also had just one rushing attempt stopped for no gain or a loss.

Those numbers matter because the Sooners faced a Kyle Whittingham defense built to stop the run. Oklahoma also started a true freshman at right guard and played without its best offensive lineman.

The Sooners still created running lanes. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle simply did not use them often enough.

Oklahoma's running backs received 13 carries, the same number as quarterback John Mateer. Mateer was involved as a passer or runner on 46 of the team's 60 offensive plays.

Lloyd Avant carried nine times for 35 yards and posted a 56 percent success rate. More than half of his runs improved Oklahoma's chances of scoring or extending a possession. He was one of the Sooners' most efficient skill players, yet he finished with only 12 total touches.

Oklahoma produced more value per play on the ground than through the air. Arbuckle nevertheless called passes on 10 of 14 late-down snaps. The Sooners also attempted no power runs in short-yardage situations. Michigan tried three and converted two.

That approach repeatedly placed Mateer in obvious passing situations while he struggled with his accuracy. Rather than lean on the running backs and reduce the burden on his quarterback, Arbuckle made Mateer the center of nearly every important possession.

The offensive line was not blameless. Its most damaging failures came in pass protection and pre-snap discipline, not run blocking.

Michigan sacked Mateer three times for 23 yards. Eddy Pierre-Louis committed a holding penalty that erased Mateer's 9-yard scramble on third and 8 during the fourth quarter. Ryan Fodje false-started at Oklahoma's 1-yard line.

E'Marion Harris committed another false start on the final drive. Nate Marshall's 10-yard sack then ended the game.

Those mistakes killed possessions. They also became more damaging because Oklahoma kept putting its offensive line in situations where Michigan knew a pass was coming.

Brent Venables described the running game as "not good enough in any way" and said the Sooners needed to "knock people backwards."

The blocking numbers suggest Oklahoma created enough movement to keep running. The greater failure came from an offensive coordinator who moved away from his most efficient option.

Oklahoma does not need to rebuild its offense. Arbuckle needs to recognize when the running game is working and remain committed to it.

Which team has the biggest problem?

Oregon's Teitum Tuioti, A'Mauri Washington, Matayo Uiagalelei — Oregon outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, left, defensive lineman A'Mauri Washington and outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei celebrate a sack in 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State has a coaching problem. Day and his staff must stay aggressive after building a lead instead of asking the defense to protect it for a full quarter. The Buckeyes have the talent to correct that approach immediately.

Oklahoma has a play-calling problem. Arbuckle must give his running backs a larger role when the ground game is producing. That change would also help Mateer and reduce the pressure on an offensive line that struggled in obvious passing situations.

Oregon has a personnel-performance problem, which is much harder to solve during a season.

Dan Lanning already made his move by bringing back Uiagalelei, Tuioti, Washington and Alexander. The Ducks cannot add another experienced defensive front in September. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford had Oregon's defensive line as the second-best position group in college football entering the season. Where is that group now?

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