Number one Ohio State football just served up a choke job for the ages this Saturday, blowing a massive 20-point lead on the road against No. 3 Texas to fall 24-23. Seriously, you couldn’t make this stuff up. This isn’t just a tough loss; it’s an unprecedented collapse that has to sting every single Buckeyes fan right down to their core. In the entire Ryan Day era, they had *never* coughed up a 20-point advantage. Until now.
How Did They Let This Even Happen?
Man, the first half? Pure dominance! Ohio State was looking like the undisputed top team in the nation, absolutely owning the field and building a seemingly insurmountable 20-3 lead by halftime. Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was an absolute alien out there, just tearing apart the Texas secondary. The dude racked up eight receptions for an incredible 164 yards and punched in a touchdown. Everything was clicking, folks. It felt like they were on cruise control to an easy Week 2 victory. Who saw this coming?
Then, the second half hit, and it was like watching a different team entirely. Ohio State’s offense suddenly went ice cold, mustering only a pathetic three points. Meanwhile, Texas’s defense tightened up like a vise, and their offense, which had been sleeping, finally woke up. The Longhorns started chipping away, then pouring it on, ultimately dropping 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter! You could just *feel* the momentum swinging, the panic setting in. And then, with just 25 seconds left on the clock, Hollywood Smothers punched in the game-winning touchdown run. QB Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes got one last, desperate shot, but only ran two plays before the clock cruelly expired. Talk about a gut punch.
So, Where Does Ohio State Go After That Disaster?
Both these teams looked like legit national championship contenders for a while there, but only one walked off the field with their contender status truly solidified. For Ohio State, being the No. 1 team in the country and blowing this is just brutal. Everyone is going to be glued to their screens for the updated US LBM Coaches Poll, which drops Sunday, Sept. 13. How far will the Buckeyes fall? The source says this loss might not completely crater their College Football Playoff hopes, which is something, I guess. Especially since No. 3 Texas is now likely headed straight to the No. 1 spot. But let’s be real: that doesn’t make Saturday’s historic meltdown any easier to swallow. This team needs to figure out what happened in that second half, and fast, if they want to bounce back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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