Day: Ohio State 'to make some hard decisions' after Texas collapse

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  Jake TrotterSep 15, 2026, 01:18 PM ET

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  Jake Trotter is a senior writer at ESPN. Trotter covers college football. He also writes about other college sports, including men's and women's basketball. Trotter resides in the Cleveland area with his wife and three kids and is a fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder. He covered the Cleveland Browns and NFL for ESPN for five years, moving back to college football in 2024. Previously, Trotter worked for the Middletown (Ohio) Journal, Austin American-Statesman and Oklahoman newspapers before joining ESPN in 2011. He's a 2004 graduate of Washington and Lee University. You can reach out to Trotter at jake.trotter@espn.com and follow him on X at @Jake_Trotter.

Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Ohio State's late collapse at Texas is "going to force us to make some hard decisions."

The Buckeyes blew a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter Saturday, as the Longhorns stormed back for a stunning 24-23 victory.

"We had an opportunity certainly to finish the game and knock them out there in the third quarter," Day said. "It didn't happen. Then we lost momentum and couldn't get it back."

According to ESPN Research, Ohio State became the first AP No. 1 team since 2004 to lose after leading by at least 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes had won 115 consecutive games when holding a 20-point lead, the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS before Saturday.

Ohio State fell to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll, while Texas moved up to No. 1.

"It's extremely frustrating, it's maddening," Day said. "And we're excited to get back on the field and get going because the last couple of days haven't been fun around here.

"We have to win the fourth quarter."

Day reiterated over the summer that winning the fourth quarter would be paramount this season given Ohio State's challenging schedule.

The Buckeyes dropped their final two games last season after faltering late against Indiana and Miami.

Ohio State missed a late field goal that allowed the Hoosiers to clinch the Big Ten championship. Then in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, Miami went on a 10-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to put the Buckeyes away.

"We have to do a better job of identifying how we're going to win these games in the fourth quarter as a group -- and do it," Day said. "We put a lot of work into it, so to see it happen like that is extremely disappointing.

"But we can't just keep doing the same thing over and over again. We got to figure out how to make that change and get it done."

Ohio State still has five ranked opponents left on the schedule, including a trip to defending national champion Indiana on Oct. 17.

Day said he hopes the Texas loss ultimately makes the Buckeyes better equipped to finish close games once Big Ten play begins.

"If we win that game, then we're not probably having those conversations," Day said. "So as much as this hurts and is miserable, we have to move forward with it.

"And the plan is to be a better, stronger team ... and making sure that as we get ourselves in that situation again, we're able to finish the game the way we should."