'This one hurts': Day's Buckeyes fold in fourth quarter — SkimNews
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- Ohio State became the first AP No. 1 team since 2004 to lose after leading by at least 20 points in the fourth quarter, falling 24-23 to Texas in Austin.
- Texas became the first FBS team in the past 15 years to close a win with three consecutive touchdown drives of 12 or more plays, scoring the go-ahead TD on third-and-goal with 25 seconds remaining.
- Ohio State's offense managed just 49 yards in the fourth quarter, and kicker Joe McGuire missed a 45-yard field goal that would have extended the lead to two scores with just over four minutes left.
- Jeremiah Smith racked up 164 receiving yards — moving into second place in Ohio State history with 2,783 career yards (116 shy of Michael Jenkins' school record) — but did not record a catch in the fourth quarter.
- Coach Ryan Day took responsibility after the loss: 'All three phases didn't get it done in the fourth quarter... that starts with me,' adding 'We had them on the ropes and didn't finish.'
- AP No. 1 teams had been 197-0 when holding a 20-point fourth-quarter lead over the past 22 years, and Ohio State had won 115 consecutive games when holding such a lead — the sixth-longest active FBS streak entering Saturday.
Why it matters: Ohio State's collapse ended a 22-year, 197-game unbeaten streak for AP No. 1 teams holding 20-point fourth-quarter leads and snapped the Buckeyes' own 115-game run in such situations. The loss likely reshapes the College Football Playoff race and intensifies scrutiny on Day's late-game management, as the Buckeyes led 23-3 midway through the third quarter before being outscored 21-0.
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