What started poorly ended worse for Ohio State as its 134th football season concluded with a 14-3 loss to Missouri on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Here are five things to know about the game:
1. Devin Brown was injured on the third series of the game.
Making his first start after Kyle McCord opted to transfer to Syracuse, Brown was hoping to impress the Ohio State coaches and fans.
He looked jittery early then twisted his left ankle trying to avoid a sack early in the second quarter. Despite being nearly immobile, he tried to play through two more series before going to the bench for good just before halftime.
Brown completed his last four passes to end up 4 for 6 for 20 yards. He was sacked three times in less than a half.
2. Lincoln Kienholz struggled in Brown’s place.
After throwing five passes in two games, the true freshman completed 6 of 17 passes for 86 yards against the Tigers.
He looked extremely shaky early and never quite seemed comfortable, but the South Dakota native did complete five of his last nine.
3. A new-look offensive line was overrun most of the night.
Ohio State benched center Carson Hinzman, a redshirt freshman who struggled through most of the year but started the first 12 games, in favor of moving senior Matt Jones to the middle.
Senior Enokk Vimahi replaced Jones at right guard, but the new look never seemed to click.
Missouri had defenders in the backfield most of the night, notching four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
The Tigers were also credited with eight quarterback hits, and they stopped Ohio State runners at or behind the line of scrimmage nine times.
4. The Ohio State defense had a strong start.
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook was often running for his life in the first half, never seeming sure what he was looking at when he dropped back or having much time to find an open receiver, anyway.
He completed only 5 of his first 12 passes but hit his last six.
The Buckeyes also held All-American running back Cody Schrader in check, holding him to 41 yards in the first half, but he ended up with 128 for the night.
5. The defense wilted in the second half.
Missouri punted on eight of its first nine drives while ending the other with a desperation pass to end the first half.
The Tigers had 105 yards when they took over at their own 5-yard line with 4:25 to go in the third quarter. They proceeded to march 95 yards for their first touchdown, a 7-yard run by Schrader, then went 91 yards on their following possession to take full control of the game with a little over five minutes to go.
Game Ball: Jack Sawyer was the best Buckeye by far all night. The junior defensive end finished with a career-high three sacks and was noticeable on just about every play, turning in the best game of his career.
Stat of the Game: Only 21 percent of Ohio State’s plays were successful (gained at least half the yards to gain for a first down), a season low.
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