Losing to the Texas Longhorns isn’t the end of the world for Ohio State, but the way the Buckeyes lost is going to sting for a bit. 

Ohio State controlled the game for three quarters and led 23-3 in the fourth quarter before Texas scored 21 unanswered points to steal a 24-23 victory. 

The Buckeyes now sit at 1-1 on the season, and there are real concerns coming out of this Week 2 collapse in Austin.

Ohio State needs a second wide receiver to emerge alongside Jeremiah Smith 

Ohio State had just two passes caught by a wide receiver not named Jeremiah Smith against the Longhorns, and that can’t be the case. Devin McCuin was figured to be the second receiver opposite Smith, and he had just one catch for five yards against Texas. The Buckeyes’ next leading pass catcher was running back Bo Jackson with four catches and 37 yards, while Smith carried the load with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown.

The Buckeyes need quality receiver play to step up alongside Smith for this offense to be at its best, and that didn’t happen against Texas. Someone not named Smith is going to have to make plays in big games this season.

Kicking remains a concern under Ryan Day

Ohio State over the Ryan Day era has had kicking play that worked out for the most part until it’s time to make kicks in crunch time. Kicker Connor Hawkins, who transferred over from Baylor, went 3-of-4 against the Longhorns, but he missed a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have been the difference in the game. 

Hawkins made a 48-yarder earlier in the contest, but Ohio State has to have a kicker who converts when it matters most, and they didn’t have that in Week 2. History says it might bite the Buckeyes again this year.

The interior defensive line misses Kayden McDonald

This Ohio State team looks different without Kayden McDonald on the interior of the defensive line. McDonald was a run-plugging nose tackle for Ohio State’s defense last season who simply did not allow anyone to run at him. The Buckeyes missed that against Texas, where they allowed 141 rushing yards. That’s too much to expect a good result.

Ohio State’s run defense was getting no push on the offensive line for much of this game, and the interior of that defensive line is a legitimate worry for the Buckeyes going forward.

The schedule from here is a gauntlet for the Buckeyes 

With one loss already on the ledger, history shows that more than two losses makes getting into the College Football Playoff unlikely. Ohio State still has road games at Indiana, at USC, and at Iowa, as well as home matchups against Oregon and Michigan.

The Buckeyes still have everything remaining in front of them, but this schedule is going to be a gauntlet. Picking up the non-conference win against Texas was key for that reason. Now Ohio State has a little more pressure to win the other big games on its schedule than it did before.