Ohio State coach Ryan Day acknowledged that a pivotal decision regarding his team's defensive strategy in the final minute of their 24-23 road loss to Texas on Saturday night ultimately backfired.
The Buckeyes held a commanding 23-3 lead entering the fourth quarter but surrendered three consecutive touchdown drives to Texas quarterback Arch Manning. The decisive score came after Texas drove to Ohio State's one-yard line with 1:23 remaining in the game.
Ohio State had one timeout left and the option to let Texas score to preserve more clock for its own potential game-winning drive. However, Day opted to play defense, believing his team could stop the Longhorns on third or fourth down. Texas running back Hollywood Smothers scored on a run on third down, but Ohio State used its final timeout. The Buckeyes then stuffed Smothers again on the next play, but he ultimately found the end zone with 25 seconds remaining.
"We talked about it," Day said after the game. "We decided that we were going to play defense on second down and when we got the stop there, we said, ‘Alright, we’re going to take our chances, put the ball down for one yard see if we can stop them for two downs to win the game. I considered it but I felt like at that point we were going to go play defense and see if we could get off the field. It didn’t work out."
This strategy mirrors a tactic employed by Bill Belichick during Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants, where the New England Patriots allowed Ahmad Bradshaw to score, though that game did not result in a win for New England.
Following the touchdown, Ohio State faced a challenging situation with no timeouts and limited time to drive for a potential game-winning score. A holding penalty and an interception on the ensuing possession sealed the Buckeyes' defeat.
"I think today we played well for three quarters and then didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter," Day stated. "We stalled on some offensive drives, I felt we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish. We have to go back and figure out why that was. … This one hurts."
The loss will likely cause Ohio State to fall from its No. 1 ranking in the polls. The Buckeyes' offense struggled to sustain drives in the final quarter, while the defense allowed Texas to mount a significant comeback. Ohio State finished the game with a missed field goal that could have extended their lead to nine points earlier in the fourth quarter, a decision that loomed large following the final outcome.