You’re Nuts: What was most promising for Ohio State in loss to Texas?

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The first half of Ohio State’s game with Texas on Saturday night was a fun watch. Then the second half happened, and the Buckeyes apparently decided to do the opposite of everything that was working in the first half. With a few days to digest Ohio State blowing a 23-3 lead, we are well aware of some of the areas that are being blamed. Ryan Day’s coaching, Julian Sayin’s inaccuracy, wide receivers not named Jeremiah Smith failing to step up, and more.

Since the loss to Texas doesn’t eliminate the Buckeyes from national title contention like it essentially did in 2005, instead of dwelling on what went wrong in the game in Austin, today we are going to highlight what we saw in the game on Saturday night that was promising. There are a number of options to choose from since the Buckeyes did play at least 30 minutes of good football, as evidenced by opening up a 20-point lead on the Longhorns.

Today we want to know what you saw from Ohio State on Saturday night that you liked and is promising for the rest of this season. Maybe a player had their best performance in the scarlet and gray. Or it could be elements of the game plan that were working before the collapse happened. Since Saturday night’s loss doesn’t end the playoff hopes of the Buckeyes, Ohio State is going to have to try and put a positive spin on the setback so they can learn from it the rest of the season.

Today’s question: What was most promising for Ohio State in loss to Texas?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: The secondary was making impact plays throughout most of the game

Heading into the season, there were plenty of questions about what Ohio State would get from their secondary this season after losing superstar safety Caleb Downs, starting cornerback Davison Igbinosun, and key contributor Lorenzo Styles Jr. Not much was learned after the Ball State game since the Cardinals don’t have much of a passing attack. The first real test would come against Arch Manning and the Longhorns.

Ohio State started the game off on fire when defensive back Jay Timmons forced a fumble on the first play of the game, which the Buckeyes would recover and turn into a field goal. Talk about Timmons has been gaining steam heading into the season. The recruit from Pennsylvania broke up two passes last week against Ball State, but Saturday night in Austin was Timmons’ coming-out party. The freshman finished the game with six tackles, one of those stops coming behind the line of scrimmage.

Then the next time Texas had the football, Jaylen McClain picked off Manning on the fourth play of the drive. The interception was the first of McClain’s college career. Last season McClain quietly put together a strong season as he lined up with Downs at safety in the secondary. This year McClain is looking like a bit of a breakout campaign for the junior since he won’t be overshadowed by Downs.

There were a number of other Buckeyes from the group who had impressive moments against the Longhorns. Jermaine Mathews Jr. made a couple big stops and was credited with 1.5 tackles for loss. Earl Little Jr. led Ohio State with 11 tackles in the loss, while Devin Sanchez finished with eight tackles. With how the group played for most of the game, there is reason to be optimistic about their outlook for the rest of the season.

Matt’s answer: The kids are alright…

As I said yesterday, there are plenty of things to complain about coming out of Ohio State’s 24-23 loss to Texas, and we will continue to monitor each and every one of them as the season progresses, but who needs that kind of negativity in their lives on a daily basis? So, Brett and I are choosing to look for silver linings and hidden bright spots in the embarrassing and demoralizing collapse of our favorite team on a national stage on Saturday night. Fortunately, buried beneath all of the frustration was something that should make Buckeye fans feel at least a little better about where this team is headed: The kids can play.

Ohio State’s youngsters showed up in Austin, in front of more than 100,000 people, against one of the most talented teams in the country, and many of them looked like they belonged. Their stats weren’t always eye-popping, but time and time again, I found myself being drawn to players whose numbers I had to check on the roster because they are so new, I haven’t yet committed them to memory.

Jay Timmons continues to be the most obvious example. The true freshman nickelback was involved immediately, forcing and recovering a fumble on Texas’ first offensive snap, and finished with six tackles and a TFL. He played 62 defensive snaps — an enormous workload for a freshman defensive back in that environment — and earned a respectable 65.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.

At linebacker, Riley Pettijohn again looked like someone who is going to make it increasingly difficult for the coaching staff to keep him off the field. The sophomore earned a 69.1 PFF grade in 37 snaps and made one of Ohio State’s biggest defensive plays by shooting into the backfield and sacking Arch Manning. Tarvos Alford also continued to work his way into the rotation, playing 26 snaps and grading out at 64.4. Considering how much Ohio State’s linebackers struggled as Texas began finding room in the fourth quarter, I would be perfectly happy seeing considerably more Pettijohn and Alford going forward and letting the athletic youngsters figure it out.

Offensively, Bo Jackson’s numbers weren’t spectacular — 74 yards on 19 carries — but I thought he ran much better than the 3.9 yards-per-carry average suggests. I saw more patience and vision from Bo against Texas than I can remember seeing from him before. He also caught four passes for 37 yards, giving him 111 yards from scrimmage against one of the best defenses in the country, and his 74.5 PFF grade was the second-highest among Ohio State’s offensive skill players behind Jeremiah Smith.

Then there is Khary Wilder, who I argued last week needs to see more time. He didn’t get a whole lot of reps against Texas, which I think is a mistake. The freshman only played five defensive snaps, but twice lined up inside as part of the Rushmen Package and generated immediate pressure on Manning. One forced an inaccurate pass (which was about half of Arch’s attempts), while another nearly resulted in a sack on fourth down. I know I have already latched on to him as one of my favorite freshmen, but five snaps simply does not feel like enough for someone who keeps flashing that kind of disruptive ability.

Then we can throw in guys like Devin Sanchez, who already looks comfortable playing nearly every defensive snap as a sophomore; Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd, who should give Jeremiah Smith some athleticism on the other side of the field; Epi Sitanilei, who is very similar to Wilder for me; Legend Bey, whom I still think might end up being RB1 by the end of the season; Zion Grady, who hopefully isn’t hurt long-term; and a ton of other young guys that probably deserve mentioning as well.

Now, I’m not saying that had all of these players gotten more reps on Saturday, Ohio State would have beaten Texas, but I do think there is cause for optimism in how they played. The transition to college football is no joke, and it is going to take time for these underclassmen to fully come into their own, but as they get more experience, I think that a lot of these young guys will end up playing much larger roles should the Buckeyes find themselves on the field with Texas again later this season.

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