Ohio State Disheartening Defeat to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ohio State faces a challenging offseason after a disappointing performance in the Cotton Bowl.

The No. 7 Buckeyes aimed to ease the pain of their loss to Michigan with a season-ending victory over No. 9 Missouri. Equally important was the hope that Devin Brown’s performance would provide optimism for the quarterback position in 2024 after Kyle McCord’s transfer.

However, the Buckeyes fell short, losing 14-3 in front of 70,114 spectators at AT&T Stadium.

Incomplete Grade for Brown

Brown received an incomplete grade, generously put. The redshirt freshman, though shaky, didn’t get a chance to settle in. He was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter after completing only 4 of 6 passes for 20 yards.

Struggles with Kienholz

The Buckeyes (11-2) struggled offensively after freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz took over. Kienholz, who enrolled after spring practice, appeared overmatched, completing only 6 of 17 passes for 86 yards.

The Buckeyes managed only 203 yards (3.6 per play). This marked the fewest points Ohio State has scored since the 2016 College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Clemson (31-0). The previous low in Ryan Day’s five years as coach was 17.

Ohio State played without star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (opt-out) and had only one chance to score after Kienholz entered. However, Jayden Fielding’s 48-yard field goal hit off the upright in the third quarter.

Offensive Line Woes Persist

“Lincoln was put in a tough spot there, to say the least, and I thought he battled his tail off,” Day said. “Clearly, we didn’t help him up front. We didn’t run the ball well enough.”

The Buckeyes’ offensive line struggles persisted throughout the season. For the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State benched center Carson Hinzman, shifted right guard Matt Jones to that spot, and inserted Enokk Vimahi at right guard.

However, it didn’t make much of a difference. Missouri’s pass-rushers consistently applied pressure to Brown and Kienholz, rarely opening holes for TreVeyon Henderson (19 carries for 72 yards).

Defense Falls Short

This left it up to the defense to be perfect, and for most of three quarters, they were until they finally wilted.

Missouri (11-2) concluded a 95-yard touchdown drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Cody Schrader on the first play of the fourth quarter. The touchdown followed a 49-yard completion from Brady Cook to Marquis Johnson on a broken coverage.

Missouri then sealed the victory with a 91-yard touchdown drive with just over 5 minutes left.

“They played great, good enough to win,” Day said of the defense.

Ohio State’s only points came from a 44-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding in the first quarter. This came two plays after Brown sustained a high left ankle sprain.

Brown did return for one series but left for good after taking a blindside sack.

Tough Decisions Ahead

“He had a little bit of nerves, but you can see the athleticism,” Day said of Brown’s abbreviated performance.

“I know he wanted to play this game worse than anybody. Even after he hurt himself, he wanted to get back in there and actually did for a series, but it just wasn’t fair to him. He couldn’t move.”

This forced the Buckeyes to rely on Kienholz, who enrolled after spring practice from South Dakota. He was primarily the scout-team quarterback behind McCord and Brown and played only in mop-up situations in two games.

“I just want to give Lincoln a shout-out for stepping in there and playing with confidence in a tough spot,” junior defensive end Jack Sawyer said about Kienholz, who sat next to him in the postgame press conference. “I thought you fought your ass off. It’s not easy, and you did the best you could.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly good enough, unaided by the absence of Harrison and the offensive line’s inability to control the line of scrimmage.

Uncertain Future

Now, decisions loom for NFL prospects like Sawyer, who had three sacks Friday night, about whether to return to Ohio State for another season.

“I think a lot of us are all on the same page about how we don’t want to end our Ohio State careers like this, with two tough losses,” Sawyer said. “We all love it here. We love Coach Day and love the staff.

“Sometimes, unfortunate things happen, and you don’t get the outcome you want, and I think it’s going to be a big factor in our decisions.”

Photo Credit: USA Today, Columbia Daily Tribune