Every Monday, Land Grant Holy Land will take you beyond the box score and what stood out in Ohio State’s latest game. These are notes and observations that don’t show up directly in the box score. These are subtle details that helped shape the game’s outcome. There are so many things that happen throughout the course of a three-hour football game that it’s easy to miss them, but that’s why Land Grant Holy Land is going beyond the final box score to make note of the other subtle details of the game.
Ryan Day has completely flipped his reputation as a football coach. Yes, he is still just 1-4 against That Team Up North, but that loss last year could have broken Day and the Buckeyes. But it didn’t, in fact, it’s only galvanized them into a big-game Death Star.
The Buckeyes crushed Texas in the finer details Saturday
Since Ohio State lost to Michigan on Nov. 30, 2024, Day and the Buckeyes have beaten five teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll and four in the top five. Three of those wins have come against SEC teams, including two against Texas. Last year’s season finale woke the Buckeyes up and sharpened their focus, attention to detail, and mental acuity, and it showed on Saturday.
The Buckeyes were the much more prepared team against Texas. Day referred to the game as a “monster” several times during fall camp, and the Buckeyes played this game as if it were a playoff semifinal. They were the more mentally sharp team, the more attentive-to-details team, and simply the better team when it came to execution. It’s refreshing to see the Buckeyes be the better team in matchups against SEC teams after years of hearing how they couldn’t compete with teams from the Southeastern Conference. That narrative is now completely flipping in the Buckeyes and the Big Ten’s favor.
Ohio State didn’t have an offensive penalty until early in the fourth quarter, which was their first penalty overall. Joel Klatt, the color analyst for the game on Fox, pointed that out and credited the Buckeyes for being dialed in on the finer details on the offensive side of the ball. The first game can bring jitters that lead to false starts or illegal shifts, but the Buckeyes were so prepared and locked in that they only had one such penalty on Saturday afternoon. That’s a testament to the team’s preparation.
Day taking down any reference to the 2024 National Championship Team in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center set the tone for this season. The Buckeyes came out with something to prove on Saturday afternoon, and it showed in their attention to detail and execution. Was it pretty? No, but it was clean. The team that makes the fewest mistakes more often than not wins the game, especially in a top-three matchup.
Ryan Day gave Jeremiah Smith a confidence boost in the first quarter
One of the sneaky-big plays in the game against Texas was Jeremiah Smith fair catching a punt with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter. You might be wondering why this is one of the biggest plays of the game, but it goes back to Day’s effective management of the game.
When you have a star with as much hype as Jeremiah Smith, he mustn’t get into his own head, so his physical tools aren’t overshadowed by the mental side of the game. Smith’s afternoon didn’t start off well, with two drops in the first quarter. He was also visibly frustrated after the Buckeyes didn’t convert on fourth-and-one on their first drive. Smith got behind a Texas defensive back, but quarterback Julian Sayin threw intermediate to Max Klare, who dropped the wide-open pass.
After Smith’s two drops, Day sent him out to catch a Texas punt late in the first quarter. Even though it was just a fair catch, it was a confidence boost for Smith to just get his hands on the football. It worked, as Smith hauled in a 16-yard catch for a first down on the next drive, nearly knifing through two Texas defenders to break into the open field.
That 16-yard catch was the catalyst for a 13-play, 80-yard drive for a touchdown that took 8:01 off the clock. Day knew his star needed a confidence boost, and sending him out to catch a punt allowed th receiver to get his head back in the game. Smith finished the afternoon with six catches for 43 yards and, more importantly, his confidence intact.
Buckeyes take advantage of Texas mistakes
The Buckeyes’ first touchdown almost didn’t even have a chance to happen. Facing a third-and-four from the Texas 44-yard line, Sayin threw incomplete deep to Brandon Inniss down the left sideline. However, a face mask on Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons gave the Buckeyes 15 yards and a first down. Simmons — last year’s national freshman of the year — was a key player to watch going into the game due to his ability to rush the quarterback, but the penalty became a major turning point as it came at a time when Texas’s defense was in a good rhythm.
Ohio State took advantage of Simmons’s penalty, and a holding call two plays later, to move into the red zone. That’s where the Buckeyes ran the ball on the next six plays to cover the final 18 yards and punch the ball into the end zone.
In a game with as high of stakes as Saturday’s, playing a clean game can be the difference. Texas had six penalties for 50 yards, while the Buckeyes had just two penalties for 15 yards, both of which came in the fourth quarter. Even though the Buckeyes got outgained on the stat sheet, they executed when they had to and took advantage of Texas’ mistakes. Carnell Tate’s 40-yard acrobatic touchdown punctuated a drive that started when Jermaine Matthews Jr. intercepted Arch Manning.
Another key play that stood out was midway through the third quarter, when offsetting penalties prevented what could have been a safety for Texas. The Buckeyes were flagged for holding in the end zone, which normally would automatically results in a safety. However, Texas was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the same play, offsetting the Buckeyes’ holding penalty and preventing what could have been a massive momentum swing.
Taking advantage of the opponent’s mistake and catching some breaks along the way can often decide marquee matchups, and that’s exactly what happened on Saturday. Ohio State got a little bit lucky and took advantage of key mistakes and won a major game to open the season.
Matt Patricia. Game Ball.
New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was one of the great uncertainties coming into this season. What version would we see of a coach who’s had a lot of success throughout his career, but hasn’t coached college football since he was a GA over 20 years ago and his recent NFL coaching stints have left a lot to be desired?
On Saturday, we saw a Patricia defense reminiscent of the New England Patriotsc Super Bowl-winning dynasty teams. The Buckeyes threw Manning off schedule early, and that clearly impacted the Longhorns’ offensive play-calling.
Although the Buckeyes didn’t record any sacks, they flushed Manning out of the pocket early and often Saturday afternoon. It was C.J. Hicks’s pressure on the final Longhorns offensive play that helped the Buckeyes get the fourth-down stop to seal the win.
The Buckeyes’ secondary also helped frustrate the UT QB by not letting any of Texas’s receivers beat them deep. Matthews Jr. played a heck of a game, and it was Davison Igbinosun who broke up Manning’s end zone pass attempt on fourth-and-three from the Buckeyes’ nine-yard line to preserve a 14-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Caleb Downs’s tackle on Jack Endries stopped him two yards short on fourth-and-five to seal the win for the Buckeyes.
One game in, Patricia is already drawing praise from Buckeyes fans. He hasn’t coached at the college level in 22 years, but Saturday is a good sign of what could be another great Buckeyes defense this season.
‘College GameDay’ gave Lee Corso a perfect sendoff
The final pregame show for college football institution Lee Corso was perfect because it was neither overboard nor underwhelming. “College GameDay’s” send-off, with help from the fans and the Ohio State Marching Band, was simple and classy.
Corso has meant as much to college football over the past four decades, that it was touching to see him get the loving tribute he deserves. The way the “GameDay” crew honored and celebrated him was a pure showcase of how much Corso meant to everybody associated with the show.
It’s a moment that everybody who watched it on television or in the Horseshoe won’t soon forget. They say, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” I, for one, was doing that yesterday, smiling because for my whole life, I have gotten to watch Corso make his iconic headgear picks on Saturday mornings. They became a staple of my life, as they did for millions of college football and sports fans across the country.
Final Thoughts
It was a good day for the Buckeyes. Did it always look pretty on the field? No. But it’s better to win ugly than lose pretty. Sayin is only going to get better from here, and Smith is going to put up highlight reel performances. The fact that the Buckeyes’ defense did what it did Saturday is a really good sign.
The “monster” of a season-opener is now behind the Buckeyes, with them getting the win. Ohio State should be No. 1 in the AP Poll on Tuesday, which is right where they belong.
