r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • Sep 13 '26

Postgame Thread [Postgame Thread] Texas Defeats Ohio State 24-23

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team 1 2 3 4 T
Ohio State 10 10 3 0 23
Texas 0 3 0 21 24
9.1k Upvotes

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671

u/AtmosphereVarious440 Montclair State Red Hawks Sep 13 '26

ohio state repeatedly stopping texas at the 1 yard line one of the most perplexing coaching decisions i've ever seen

349

u/Ganjagod420 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sep 13 '26

Could've had 1 minute and 1 timeout, the odds go up exponentially if that was the case.

113

u/Shu_Revan Ohio State Buckeyes • Big Ten Sep 13 '26

I was thinking the same thing. Just let them score and take the time you have left

101

u/Desperate-Citron-881 Miami Hurricanes Sep 13 '26

It was funny watching the ESPN win chance % skyrocket in Texas’s favor with every play. All within 5 yards of the goal line. Even ESPN’s algorithms were dunking on OSU. Instant classic though

30

u/pivotalsquash Auburn Tigers • Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

To be fair goal line stands is how yall beat us both times before so it felt poetic

6

u/NA_Faker Texas Longhorns • Wisconsin Badgers Sep 13 '26

And it became clear Sark retooled the run game for a moment like that. Without Smothers we probably get stuffed there

13

u/Vloff Michigan Wolverines Sep 13 '26

Yeah, but that way you'd be trusting a kicker in a big spot again

8

u/X_Circuit_Blossom_X Purdue • Michigan State Sep 13 '26

Better than arm punting

6

u/openSourceNotes Michigan Wolverines Sep 13 '26

The clear spot you could tell Day was lost was that first decision where the clock kept going down after 51 seconds and then he used his timeout after letting all that time come off, I think he was realizing the position he put himself in

3

u/altissimosso Texas Longhorns • Sam Houston Bearkats Sep 13 '26

The game clock stopped there because apparently a player for tOSU lost their helmet. So it was Day’s decision to either burn the last timeout, or accept a 10s runoff. Personally, I think it was the right call to burn the timeout, what perplexed me more was Arch snapping it with so much time on the play clock on 3rd and goal.

These guys have forgotten more football than I’ll ever even have the chance to know, but the only explanation I can think of there is that the (the)OSU defense would be thinking the same thing, expecting UT to run the play clock down to a few seconds before snapping it, and by snapping it so quickly they’d catch them on their heels and not have to mess around with a potential 4th and goal. I don’t know and don’t care, fucking hook ‘em

1

u/good4steve Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

That's what I was thinking. I'm surprised they didn't

-11

u/TimboCavo Sep 13 '26

You don’t let them score when you are up by 6. Are you brain dead?

10

u/BananaManV5 Sep 13 '26

Its called hindsight. They end up scoring anyway, so theyre saying if they just let it happen with 53 seconds left they might have more of a chance than with 30. Which is true.

7

u/ICanOutP1zzaTheHut Texas Longhorns • North Texas Mean Green Sep 13 '26

A player lost their helmet so they had to take a timeout or get a 10 second runoff in his defense

2

u/gmr548 Texas Longhorns • Washington Huskies Sep 13 '26

There’s no way we keep them out of FG range. Simply had no answer for the OSU passing game.

23

u/PM_ME_EXCEL_QUESTION Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

I mean it worked for them the last 2 times. There have been several notable instances where Texas failed to score on 1st and goal at the 1 the past couple years

4

u/swammeyjoe Texas Longhorns • Verified Referee Sep 13 '26

OU in '23 and the Sawyer TD spring to mind right away.

19

u/Yes_Herro_Prease Michigan Wolverines Sep 13 '26

To be fair, OSU was really stellar at goal line stands the last couple years. But yeah Texas was gashing them and was getting in. Plus you have Julian and Jeremiah on offense that can get you into FG range quickly. 

47

u/makualla Purdue Boilermakers Sep 13 '26

Fat Patricia strikes again

27

u/HonoluluMaizeandBlue Michigan Wolverines Sep 13 '26

Lions fans everywhere love to see it

16

u/OldManCinny Tennessee Volunteers • Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

I mean we famously didn't score from 1st and goal from the 1 against them in the 24 playoffs.

19

u/froggycbl4 Virginia Tech Hokies Sep 13 '26

texas also trying to score as fast as possible when killing time is better for them

35

u/alfooboboao USC Trojans Sep 13 '26

tbh i had no confidence in arch to be able to deliver with 20 seconds more to think about it. the way the game had gone i think you get points the instant you can instead of trying to do the nfl lite thing

6

u/appletime_appletime Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

This is Texas football we’re talking about. Everyone acting like those points were a gimme. Take the points as soon as you can and bet on your defense.

4

u/swammeyjoe Texas Longhorns • Verified Referee Sep 13 '26

Yeah you start thinking those posts are a gimme and then Jack Sawyer is running down the field with the ball.

6

u/Foxy_Grandpa- Florida State Seminoles Sep 13 '26

They had 3 timeouts on 3rd and goal. There's no explanation for why you don't run it down under 10 secs and call timeout if you don't get in.

2

u/Jhngo Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

Amen to that. So many 3 and outs. Texas play decent football one quarter.

7

u/PalOfKalEl Michigan Wolverines Sep 13 '26

The problem is that anOSU had too many goal line stops the last two years. Day convinced himself that was their best path to a win. Not great.

11

u/mr_positron Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 13 '26

I think you have to think big picture here. Mathematically, I agree completely that letting them score is the move. But you are also robbing your defense of the experience of needing a stop and gaining the experience of either knowing they can get or failing and realizing they can fail. Both are incredibly valuable.

So, in the new playoff era where losing by a point on the road on a last minute play to the #4 ranked team is certainly it going to meaningfully affect their playoff odds, I think they did the right thing even even if it was a bad strategy.

What should have happened were a multitude of other better calls or made field goal and etc. That’s why Ohio state lost.

And Texas did not quit. And they are a good team.

10

u/appletime_appletime Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

Day would be getting cooked on here if he let them score early and then UT won. Texas had held up Ohio State’s offense the entire 4th quarter, I don’t know why people just assume they could get a FG if they had 90 seconds and a timeout.

3

u/sunburntredneck Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

Who tf is playing for learning experiences when the win is on the line in one of your top 3 biggest games of the season? The defense can learn whatever lesson later. At that spot, you have to play to win the freaking game you're playing in the moment.

If you win every other game, no, losing by a point to Texas won't matter. But what if you don't? Did you ever consider that? Or do you just mark every week as a tentative win because dammit, you're Ohio State, you don't lose?

3

u/reddoor17 Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

Idk there was a pretty big chance Sark dialed up a reverse or something stupid like that

3

u/vy2005 Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

I mean did you watch last year? Or the year before? Texas has a history of not scoring from the 1 recently

7

u/load_of_chode Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 13 '26

Nipple piercings are known to impede proper blood flow to the brain.

2

u/cm167 Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 13 '26

Couldn’t believe what I was seeing

2

u/RealMikeHawk Purdue Boilermakers • Cincinnati Bearcats Sep 13 '26

Especially given you only need 3. A minute to go 40 yards with a timeout is probably more likely than not.

1

u/FrostTroll69 Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 13 '26

Should have let them walk in woth a minute left

1

u/MascogoMan Sep 13 '26

In fairness to Ohio State, in two previous big game short yardage situations with Texas, they held the Longhorns to 4 and outs.

1

u/stiliophage Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sep 13 '26

Ryan Day once again trying to prove he has a big dick has cost him a game. At this point I have to assume this dudes pecker is microscopic.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '26

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1

u/wookmania Texas Longhorns Sep 13 '26

I mean, the last game we played that’s exactly what happened, we had a shitty run game and Ohio state stuffed us four times in a row. Ryan Day is getting too much criticism for that decision - damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If the defense stuffed them 4 times he would be a genius again.

What if he let Texas score and Ohio state didn’t make a field goal/TD? Hindsight is always 20/20.