Saturday’s chaos at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium is still echoing into the new week. Ohio State arrived expecting another win over Texas, just as it had in the previous two years. But even a 20-point lead wasn’t enough. Ryan Day’s No. 1 Buckeyes collapsed, lost 24-23, and paid the price in the latest rankings.

After what happened against Texas, Ohio State’s reign at the top of the rankings has finally ended. The Buckeyes, who had enjoyed a strong preseason and remained atop the table through Week 1, have now been dethroned by Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns.

Texas jumped two spots to claim the No. 1 position in the latest USA Today US LBM Coaches Poll. At the same time, Ohio State tumbled to No. 6, falling behind Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Miami.

The new rankings will certainly hurt the Buckeyes, especially considering they controlled the game for a significant stretch and led the Longhorns 23–3 early in the fourth quarter. However, the team blew that lead as soon as Arch Manning began showcasing his skills.

“We really played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter; that’s the bottom line,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We stalled on some offensive drives, thought we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish. We got to go back and figure out why that was.”

The fourth quarter was particularly painful for the Buckeyes, as they missed a crucial field goal while their defense completely failed to slow down Arch Manning. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State also struggled to get Jeremiah Smith involved in the game in the fourth quarter. In the first three quarters, Smith had caught for 164 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.

“All three phases didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter,” Day said.

Now, the question is, how did the Buckeyes blow it all so quickly despite having such a massive lead? Well, a closer look at the game shows that Ryan Day’s conservative play might have been the problem.

What went wrong for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes?

Matt Patricia’s defense had kept Arch Manning uncomfortable for three quarters; however, the approach softened late in the game. More zone coverage and limited pressure gave the Texas QB the opening he had been looking for. Texas then converted crucial fourth downs to keep its comeback alive.

The Buckeyes needed just one timely stop, but it never came. Instead, the Longhorns scored touchdowns on all three of their fourth-quarter possessions, snatching the game away from Ohio State. After the game, when asked if there was anything the team could have done differently to secure the win, Day gave his reasoning.

“There was some Cover 8 for sure, which I thought for a good portion of the game was well done. When it’s time to get pressure, especially when you need to, that’s the bottom line. You look at all of it: scheme, personnel, everything. So it’s hard to say,” said Ryan Day.

Ohio State’s offense also abandoned the aggression that built its 23-3 lead. As the Longhorns mounted their comeback, the Buckeyes became increasingly conservative, going three-and-out after the Longhorns cut the deficit to 23-10.

Later, rather than pushing for a crucial first down, Ohio State settled for a 46-yard field goal attempt. The miss kept Texas within striking distance, which ultimately proved very costly. The final blow came late in the game when the Longhorns reached the 1-yard line. Ryan Day chose to defend rather than allow a quick score.

After two stops, Hollywood Smothers finally scored, leaving the Buckeyes with just 25 seconds to respond.

“We talked about stopping them and then taking our chances and putting the ball down for one yard and seeing if we could stop them for two downs. They scored there on second down. Yeah, I considered it. I felt like at that point we were just going to trust the defense to get off the field,” said Day.

Too many things went wrong for Ohio State on Saturday, and Ryan Day will have to fix them all as the Buckeyes face Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon, and Michigan down the line. If these lapses continue, the season could turn very uneventful for Ohio State.