Five Questions For Ohio State’s Week 1 Game Against Texas

With just three days to go until Ohio State and Texas face off in Week 1, there are still many questions about both teams since they both had to rebuild much of their starting lineups.

A lot of questions were answered throughout the month of training camp, but now the Buckeyes go up against the No. 1 team in the country to show how good of a team they can be this season.

Here are the five biggest questions Buckeye Sports Bulletin has for the Week 1 contest.

1. Can Texas Shut Down Jeremiah Smith Again?

Eight months ago in the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes and Longhorns matched up in the CFP semifinals. Jeremiah Smith was a big part of the Buckeyes’ first two wins in the playoff against Tennessee and Oregon, so Texas made its gameplan on the defensive side of the ball stopping Smith.

The Longhorns were successful in doing so and Smith had just one catch for 3 yards. in the 28-14 win. With so many options to throw to, Gee Scott Jr. (five catches, 30 yards), Emeka Egbuka (five, 51) and Carnell Tate (seven, 87) were open in the passing game, but the Longhorn approach did somewhat stifle the Buckeyes offense. Two of the touchdowns OSU scored were a 75-yard TreVeyon Henderson screen at the end of the first half and Jack Sawyer’s 83-yard scoop and score.

OSU boasts just as many receiving threats this season, with Max Klare likely providing an upgrade as a pass catcher at tight end, but Smith also seems determined to show that the Cotton Bowl was an anomaly.

“I’m definitely hyped about this one, especially with how things went last year, people saying things about me, about that game I had last year,” Smith said. “I’m definitely hungry for this one, for sure.”

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will have to decide whether bracketing Smith is the best option for the Aug. 30 game or if he will try to find another way to slow OSU down.

2. Can Ohio State’s offensive tackles keep the Texas pass rush at bay?

Texas comes into the season with possibly the top defense in the country, and a big part of that is its ability to rush the passer. The Longhorns return 2024 national Freshman of the Year Colin Simmons and Ethan Burke on the edge as well as Anthony Hill Jr. and Trey Moore, who each have the ability to get into the backfield.

The Buckeyes are replacing two starters on the outside of the offensive line with Austin Siereveld confirmed to be the starting left tackle by Ryan Day and Phillip Daniels seeming likely to begin the game on the right side. Ethan Onianwa could also rotate in at right tackle with Daniels.

It’s expected that the Longhorns will be able to pressure quarterback Julian Sayin at least a few times due to the immense talent and speed on that side of the ball, but will Siereveld and the combination of Daniels and Onianwa be able to give Sayin enough time in his first ever start?

If Daniels starts the game at right tackle and is playing well, it’s entirely possible that the rotation Day has talked about will go out the window.

3. Is Julian Sayin ready for the bright lights?

Well, the lights won’t actually need to be bright since the game is being played at noon, but metaphorically, at least, this is the biggest stage that Sayin has started on. The same can be said for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who is in his third season with the Longhorns after sitting behind Quinn Ewers for two years.

Sayin has received a lot of glowing comparisons from people inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Ryan Day compared his throwing ability to Dwayne Haskins and his ability to move around to C.J. Stroud.

But even those quarterbacks needed some time to get used to in-game action, and neither Haskins or Stroud had to start their college careers with a game like Sayin has against Texas on the schedule. If Texas does choose to try to pressure Sayin as much as possible, whether he will be able to make good decisions with little time will be a big decider of the outcome of this game.

But players and coaches alike seem confident in Sayin’s ability to rise to the occassion. Manning will be in a very similar situation, except he will be on the road with a lotmore noise to deal with.

4. What do Ohio State’s defensive rotations look like?

Right now, the biggest questions on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State are the second safety spot, where Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford are battling for playing time, and the depth on the interior defensive line.

It seemed that in fall camp, defensive tackle depth did show up, with Will Smith Jr. proving he can play a role at nose guard and Tywone Malone and true freshman Jarquez Carter at three tech. But how much those players are trusted will be obvious in a matchup like this one when the goal is to win no matter what.

Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston will start at those two positions, but neither have played the workload of a starter. Who comes in when those two need breathers and how much do the backups play?

McClain was an Iron Buckeye over the summer, so he could have the upper hand over Hartford when push comes to shove if the coaches had to choose who to put on the field right now. However, Hartford kept the battle competitive enough that a starter has not been named.

There are many different possibilities of how the defensive backfield could line up to begin the Texas game, and that will depend in part on how the personnel the Longhorns send on to the field. Caleb Downs has gotten a lot of work at the nickel position this offseason, which could give McClain and Hartford the chance to both be on the field at the same time.

The split between the two safeties will be something to watch in the first game for the Buckeyes.

5. Are the Buckeyes new coordinators ready for the test?

Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is calling plays for the first time in his career, and his first test is against none other than the best team in the country. He does have the fact that the Buckeyes have the best wide receiver group in the country on his side, however.

When it comes to Hartline’s offense, Ryan Day has said that it will still look like an Ohio State offense usually does, but he will have control over the full offense for the first time.

Patricia is in the college game as a defensive coordinator for the first time ever after spending 20 years in the NFL, much of which was as a coordinator and a head coach.

He also will be going into one of the biggest games of Ohio State’s season without any preseason games, something he hasn’t done before. Has the Buckeye defense had enough time to learn his system, and how will Patricia handle Manning and Sarkisian’s offense when they come to town?