Ohio State’s passing game has a Jeremiah Smith problem, and it is not because Smith is doing anything wrong. The Buckeyes have become far too dependent on him, and Texas exposed exactly what happens when defenses force someone else to beat them. After the 24-23 collapse, Ryan Day finally admitted the rest of the WR room needs to start producing, essentially confirming the warning Urban Meyer had been sounding before the game.  

“Between Devin, Brandon, Brock, and Chris, we’ve got to get that going,” Ryan Day told reporters via Buckeye Insiders. “We know now that we’ve got a big month ahead of us here, going into the bye week. So, this next month, we’ve got to build chemistry there. I thought there were a couple of really good things at practice today. Some guys stepped up and made some plays, so that’ll be important.”

This admission comes after Smith gave his all in the game. He had six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown before halftime, including an 18-yard grab between two defenders in the end zone that pushed the Buckeyes ahead 20-3.

On one possession, Julian Sayin came under pressure and found Jeremiah Smith for a 43-yard completion. The play helped set up a field goal. But that game changed once Texas adjusted and tightened the coverage around him. Smith didn’t catch a pass in the fourth quarter while Ohio State managed just 150 total yards in the second half.

Ohio State does not need Jeremiah Smith to become less dangerous. It needs everyone else to become dangerous enough that defenses cannot build their plan around stopping him. And that is exactly what Urban Meyer was warning before the Texas game.

“You can roll up on Jeremiah Smith and two-for-one him and kind of keep him in front,” he said on The Stampede. “He’s going to make some catches, but you just don’t want to leave him by himself out there very often because I know all good offenses and you have a guy like that, you get individual coverage.”

Texas followed this approach, and Smith still finished with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. But the rest of Ohio State’s wide receivers combined for only two receptions. Brandon Inniss finished with one catch for 19 yards. Devin McCuin had one reception for five yards. Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are still young, while Kyle Parker has yet to become a consistent part of the rotation.

However, that’s not saying there weren’t opportunities. McCuin, who transferred to Ohio from UTSA, had six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown against Ball State. Against Texas, he broke open near the Longhorns 10-yard line in the third quarter, but Sayin’s throw sailed high.

“He ran a great route,” Sayin said. “I ended up missing him high. I want that one back for sure.”

Meanwhile, after the game, Urban Meyer also pointed to Ohio State’s inability to get a defensive stop during Texas’ comeback.

The defense had a problem of its own

This might have been a major reason Ohio State couldn’t protect its lead. Texas’ first touchdown drive of the second half covered 91 yards over 15 plays and took nearly six and a half minutes off the clock, putting the Buckeyes defense under pressure for an extended period of time. 

The secondary had some help from Texas mistakes, but there were still too many breakdowns. Cam Coleman had a chance on the play that became Arch Manning’s interception, while Ryan Wingo later couldn’t hold onto a wide-open ball in the end zone. The same inconsistency showed up at linebacker, where Payton Pierce struggled to finish tackles. 

Riley Pettijohn, on the other hand, gave Ohio State some energy when he was on the field.  There was a similar case for giving Khary Wilder a bigger look up front. He played just five snaps against Texas, but made those opportunities count by getting into the backfield multiple times and disrupting Arch Manning.

For all the problems that were exposed in Austin, the run game performed better than expected. Once sack yardage was removed, Ohio State’s running backs cleared 100 yards, with Bo Jackson leading the way with 19 carries for 74 yards.

Nevertheless, while the loss exposed some issues, Ohio State still has time to fix them.