Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he never would have considered intentionally allowing Texas to score with 1:02 remaining against the Buckeyes. The Longhorns punched the ball in two plays later, giving them enough points to complete a 20-point comeback, and they bled more time off the clock.
Leading 23-16 when Texas got to the 1-yard line, the Buckeyes could have simply let the Longhorns get the touchdown. It would have given them about 50 seconds to try to score. Instead, there were 25 seconds remaining.
"I would have a really hard time letting them score," Meyer said on "The Triple Option" show Sept. 14. "You need the stop. I have enough confidence in my defense, and I almost worry if I throw up the white flag on defense, what am I telling
them down the road, too?"
When OSU got the ball back at the 25-yard line, it had no timeouts remaining, and quarterback Julian Sayin was eventually forced to throw a desperation heave that Graceson Littleton picked off as time expired.
"I just couldn't do it," Meyer said. "I know people are going to say, 'Let them score.' I would have never let them score there. ... All you got to do is make a stop and you win the game."
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was asked Sept. 15 if he had reconsidered his decision to attempt a goal-line stand.
"Well, it didn't work, so the answer is yes," Day answered. "If we win the game, then it would've been the right decision. And in the moment, you got to make a hard decision, and I decided to hold the line. There's a lot that comes with that, just saying, 'Hey, just let them score right there,' as the head coach of your team.
"Ultimately, [I would've] loved to see what it would've looked like if they scored. But made the decision, was talking through it with [defensive coordinator Matt Patricia], and that was the decision we made. We'll have to think about it when it happens again."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ryan Day is not alone. Urban Meyer says he wouldn't have let Texas score
