Ohio State controlled Texas for three quarters, carried a 23-3 lead into the fourth, and still somehow lost 24-23. That collapse was never going to sit well with fans, and Payton Pierce is now right in the middle of the backlash. The junior linebacker and team captain stepped in front of reporters to answer for what went wrong, but after Texas repeatedly exposed Ohio State’s defense late, fans were not exactly in the mood to hear explanations.
“I’m pretty disappointed in how I played, so I think just setting a standard like, I’m super excited for this practice, and we get to go into this week and go learn from our mistakes and stuff like that,” Payton Pierce said, according to an X post of Eleven Warriors. “I think keeping everyone together and not giving in to noise can separate the team and stuff like that.”
“And I think just making sure everyone’s getting better and everyone’s sticking together cause, I mean, at the end of the day, we played one of the best teams in the country and lost by one point at the very end in a pretty hard environment with a new team. So, we got to learn from a lot of those mistakes, and I think just keeping everyone together and playing better and just attacking practice every day is what’s gonna help us take that next step.”
As Pierce acknowledged, Ohio State had plenty to fix. The defense gave up three straight touchdown drives of 91, 72 and 73 yards, allowing Texas to score 21 unanswered points, while the offense failed to put anything on the board in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns kept finding space underneath and on the ground, forcing Ohio State’s linebackers to make tackles after key yardage had already been gained.
Pierce played 67 snaps and finished with nine tackles and a forced fumble, but the box score did not tell the whole story. Texas repeatedly forced him to move laterally in space before attacking the opening, with backs like Raleek Brown creating problems at the second level. On the final touchdown drive, Hollywood Smothers converted a 3rd-and-2 with an eight-yard run before Pierce brought him down, adding to the criticism around his speed, positioning and ability to close plays down.
Pierce was not the only problem. Julian Sayin struggled in the second half, Ohio State failed to sustain drives, and Ryan Day also came under pressure. The Buckeyes passed up a potential field-goal opportunity on a failed fourth-down attempt and were left with almost no time to answer after Texas took the lead.
Even Ryan Day also admitted Ohio State failed when it mattered most.
“I think today we played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter. That’s the bottom line. We stalled on some offensive drives, and I felt that we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish,” Day said. “We won the first three quarters and did not, obviously, win in the fourth quarter.”
But Day taking accountability did little to cool the criticism around Pierce.
One fan argued that Pierce’s issue goes beyond positioning or practice reps, questioning whether his lack of speed at linebacker can realistically be fixed.
“I don’t think he can improve speed,” one X user commented.
Others turned their criticism toward the coaching staff, questioning why Ohio State put Pierce in front of reporters after the loss.
“Kind of unbelievable that Day would trot him out there for questions. He’s clearly not athletic enough to play at OSU. He should and probably will get replaced. Don’t put him in a position to field those kinds of questions,” another X user commented.
Another fan blamed the program more than Pierce himself.
“Never was mad at the kid. Just pissed at the coaching malpractice. Completely unacceptable. It is crazy they put him out there for a press conference,” one X user commented.
The criticism also reached Pierce’s place in the lineup after Texas repeatedly challenged him in space.
“I can’t believe he’s still starting. He’s too slow & out of position!” one X user wrote.
Another fan went even further.
“Should have gained 30 lbs and put his hand in the dirt. Dude is slow,” another X user commented.
Ohio State dropped to No. 6 after the loss, its first time outside the top five since 2024. With Kent State coming up on September 19, Pierce and the Buckeyes now have little time to clean up the issues exposed against Texas.