Oct 26, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day looks on before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Ohio State's Ryan Day Issues Strong Warning Before Texas Game

Originally posted on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 4:45 PM ET

Last January, Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, punching their ticket to the National Championship Game. They then went on to defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for their first title in a decade.

Fast forward to August 2025, and Ohio State is once again preparing to face Texas, but this time, it's i Columbus, and it will be the Buckeyes' regular-season opener.

Both teams look awfully different on this occasion, too. Ohio State lost a plethora of players to the NFL Draft during the offseason, and Texas will have Arch Manning under center.

The Longhorns are the No. 1-ranked team in the country, so Day is fully aware of the major challenge that lies ahead for the Buckeyes.

With that in mind, Day issued a strong warning to Ohio State prior to this Saturday's clash, noting that the Buckeyes will have to play a cleaner brand of football than they did last winter.

Ryan Day sends strong warning to the Ohio State Buckeyes

"I think when you look back on that game, those penalties really hurt us," Day said, via Eleven Warriors. "They set us way behind the sticks. And we have to play better football than that. They're a very disciplined team, and we have to do a better job than we did in that game."

Ohio State was pretty clearly the more talented football team back in January. That may not be the case anymore, even if the Buckeyes are still pretty loaded. For that reason Ohio State cannot get away with sloppy play like it did in the previous meeting.

The Buckeyes are ranked third in the nation heading into 2025 and absolutely have a chance to defend their national championship, but it will not be easy, especially with Penn State actually viewed as the favorite to win the Big Ten.

How Ohio State fares against Texas this weekend will certainly represent a good litmus test of where the Buckeyes will stand as a team this fall.

This article first appeared on Ohio State Buckeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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