By admin 
Benjamin Franklin once said that “out of adversity comes opportunity,” and no program in college football needs to lean on that sentiment more this week than Ohio State. The top-ranked Buckeyes suffered a gut-punch of a loss on Saturday night in Austin, watching a commanding 20-point lead evaporate as Arch Manning and Texas stormed back for a 24-23 win – the largest comeback over a No. 1 team the sport has seen in a quarter-century. Ohio State outgained the Longhorns 240 yards to 97 in the first half and looked every bit the part of a national title contender for three quarters. Then the fourth quarter happened, and a signature win turned into a signature gut-check.
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Now the Buckeyes get exactly what a team in this position needs: a home game against Kent State on September 19th before Big Ten play opens against Illinois on September 26th. It’s a chance to answer Franklin’s challenge head-on – to turn a deflating loss into a launching pad.
A Program at a Crossroads Moment
Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day was blunt in his postgame assessment, admitting his team “played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter.” That’s the kind of collapse that can linger in a locker room if it isn’t addressed quickly, and there’s no better antidote than controlling what’s in front of you. Going back to the 2005 season, when Ohio State suffered a painful, last minute 25-22 home loss to…Texas (!), the Buckeyes came out sluggish in their next game versus San Diego State, before getting their act together and winning 27-6. Kent State provides a low-pressure environment to shake off the sting, tighten up the details that unraveled in Austin, and remind everyone in the building what this team is capable of when it plays a complete 60 minutes.
Passing on the field goal in the first half, missed the pass to DMcCuin, and then the missed FG In the second half are just monumentally awful contributions to this loss
– Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) September 13, 2026
The Jeremiah Smith Problem Everyone Can See Coming
Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards against Texas, but the passing attack leaned heavily on one target: Jeremiah Smith hauled in 164 of those yards. Don’t get me wrong – Jeremiah Smith is the best player in the country, and should be the primary weapon the Buckeyes use from their arsenal. If Ohio State is going to avoid another fourth-quarter unraveling against a Big Ten schedule that only gets tougher, it needs its other receivers and its tight ends to become real weapons, not just decoys.
Kent State is the ideal setting to start correcting that. With a talent gap this wide, Sayin and the offensive staff can afford to spread the ball around, work through progressions, and get complementary receivers real reps against live bullets. Building that trust now – in a game where the outcome isn’t in doubt – is far more valuable than doing it for the first time in October against a Big Ten secondary that’s actually built to stop it.
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Time to Empty the Bench
Beyond the passing game, this is the last exhibition-style opportunity Ohio State will get before the Big Ten grind begins. Illinois awaits on September 26th, and after that, every game carries conference championship and College Football Playoff seeding implications. That makes Kent State the last, best chance to get backups, rotational pieces, and younger players meaningful snaps before the margin for experimentation disappears.
Ryan Day and his staff would be wise to treat this game as a dress rehearsal for the depth chart: playing reserves early and often, resting starters who need it, and using the game to find answers to real questions – who are the third and fourth receivers ? To put it into context, Devin McCuin and Brandon Inniss each had only one reception versus Texas. Which backup offensive and defensive linemen can hold up if injuries strike in November? Which young defensive backs are ready for extensive play in a rotation? Answering those questions now, against a MAC opponent, is infinitely better than answering them for the first time in a tight fourth quarter against Michigan.
Turning the Page
Benjamin Franklin’s quote endures because it’s true in football as much as anywhere else: the programs that respond to adversity with clarity and purpose are the ones that make deep runs in January. Ohio State has the talent to be exactly that kind of team. Kent State won’t tell anyone whether the Buckeyes have fixed what went wrong in the fourth quarter against Texas – Illinois and the rest of the Big Ten schedule will do that. But how Ohio State uses this week, diversifying its passing attack and getting its reserves meaningful work, will go a long way toward determining whether this loss becomes a footnote or a warning sign.
Today’s best reads
- Ohio State On SI Picks: Can Buckeyes Make It Three-Straight vs. Texas Longhorns?
- 3 Things Ohio State Must Fix This Week To Beat Texas Again
- Biggest Questions Ohio State Football Still Faces Before Week 1
- Which Young Ohio State Football Players Could Become Bigger Stars Than Anticipated?
- What Jeremiah Smith Told Ryan Day Made Ohio State vs. Texas Even Better
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as How Ohio State Must Bounce Back Versus Kent State.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 8:47 AM.