Did Ohio State’s Linebacker Rebuild Cost Them the Texas Game? The Numbers Say Yes

A Championship Formula That Ohio State Had to Completely Rebuild

A year ago, Ohio State’s linebacker room was the backbone of a national championship defense. Cody Simon was a downhill thumper who won Defensive MVP honors in both the Rose Bowl and the title game. Sonny Styles was a converted safety whose size and range gave Jim Knowles a hybrid weapon no other defense in the country had an answer for. Together, they gave Ohio State continuity, chemistry, and a clear hierarchy — everybody knew their job, and everybody had done it together for years.

Both players are now in the NFL. And when you actually look at what happened in Ohio State’s historic fourth-quarter collapse against Texas, the gap left behind by that departure isn’t just theoretical — it shows up directly in the box score.

What Actually Happened to Ohio State’s Linebackers Against Texas

Ohio State led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter against Texas, suffocating the Longhorns’ rushing attack for three quarters. Then everything fell apart. Multiple outlets covering the collapse point to the exact same root cause: Ohio State’s linebackers got worn down by Texas’ running backs, and it became the turning point of the entire game.

The statistics make it clear this wasn’t some fluke. Texas finished with 141 rushing yards on 41 carries — just 3.4 yards per attempt, a number that looks perfectly fine on paper. But those “fine” numbers were exactly the problem. Texas running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers kept gaining just enough to stay on schedule and keep drives alive, wearing Ohio State’s linebackers down snap after snap until the dam finally broke. Smothers scored twice in the fourth quarter alone, including the game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left — officially the largest fourth-quarter comeback in history against an AP No. 1 team.

The Linebacker Rotation That Replaced Simon and Styles

Ohio State used a four-man linebacker rotation against Texas: Payton Pierce (67 snaps), Christian Alliegro (51 snaps), Riley Pettijohn (37 snaps), and TJ Alford (26 snaps). Pierce and Alliegro were the starters. Here’s where it gets genuinely interesting — and where your instinct about this season’s roster turnover really holds up.

According to Pro Football Focus’ actual game grades, the two backups outplayed at least one of the two starters: Pettijohn graded at 69.1 and Alford at 64.4, both ahead of Alliegro’s 58.6. Pierce did grade out as Ohio State’s best linebacker that night (75.9), finishing with nine tackles and a forced fumble — but even his performance came with real caveats. Multiple analysts noted Pierce looked a step slow at times, repeatedly getting forced to play in space by Texas’ backs, something that became more difficult as the game wore on and his legs tired. One columnist put it bluntly: Pierce “was getting run through or run around at times,” which was especially concerning since he’s supposed to be Ohio State’s best linebacker.

This Isn’t a One-Game Problem — It’s a Four-Game Pattern

What makes this more than just a bad night in Austin is that the same pattern has continued well past the Texas game. Through four games, Riley Pettijohn — still not an official starter — has quietly put up the best advanced numbers of any Ohio State linebacker: 15 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and an interception, almost entirely as a rotational piece. Payton Pierce, the actual starting Mike linebacker, has 20 tackles but just half a sack and no real impact plays to match. Land-Grant Holy Land’s own linebacker tracker has gone so far as to declare, in plain terms, that Pettijohn is Ohio State’s best linebacker and it “isn’t really a debate anymore” — arguing the coaching staff has spent a month treating him like a luxury instead of starting him.

That’s the real story your instinct picked up on. Ohio State isn’t lacking talent at linebacker. It’s lacking the right players in the right roles, because the continuity and established trust that Simon and Styles built over multiple seasons together simply doesn’t exist yet for this group.

Why This Season Feels So Different From 2024

The contrast really comes down to one word: continuity. In 2024, Ohio State knew exactly what it had at linebacker heading into the biggest games of the season. Simon had years of experience and had earned his role. Styles’ move from safety was a calculated, long-term developmental plan, not an emergency fix. Both players had time to build chemistry with each other and with the rest of the defense before it ever mattered in a title run.

In 2026, Ohio State is essentially running a linebacker room through live auditions during actual Big Ten and non-conference games. Alliegro was brought in through the transfer portal as the “proven” piece, but reporting suggests he may actually be better suited as a stand-up edge rusher than a true off-ball linebacker. Pierce was supposed to be the steady internal developer, but he’s shown real limitations in space and coverage. Meanwhile, the two players performing the best — Pettijohn and Alford — are still working their way up the depth chart rather than locked in as the starters. That’s simply not the same foundation of trust and continuity that powered the 2024 defense, and Texas’ running backs exposed exactly that gap when it mattered most.

What Should Ohio State Actually Do About This?

Given everything the numbers show, there’s a real, fair argument that Ohio State needs to stop treating this as settled and make a change before it costs them another close game. Specifically:

• Start Pettijohn and Alford over Pierce and Alliegro. The production gap isn’t subtle — Pettijohn and Alford are making the plays that actually change outcomes (sacks, tackles for loss, an interception), while Pierce and Alliegro are compiling solid-but-unspectacular tackle totals without matching impact.
• Use Alliegro as a situational edge rusher, not a full-time off-ball linebacker, playing to the skill set that actually translated from Wisconsin rather than forcing him into a role that doesn’t fit as cleanly.
• Accept some short-term growing pains for long-term payoff. Pettijohn and Alford are both younger, and giving them a true starting role now — rather than treating them as situational pieces — would let them build exactly the kind of continuity and chemistry that made Simon and Styles so effective when the stakes were highest.

The Question Ohio State Fans Should Be Asking

So here’s the real question heading into the rest of this season: is Ryan Day and Jim Knowles’ coaching staff willing to admit the current linebacker hierarchy isn’t working, even though Pierce and Alliegro were the “planned” starters coming out of fall camp? Or will Ohio State keep running it back with the same rotation and hope continuity eventually catches up to what Pettijohn and Alford are already proving on the field right now?

Given how costly the Texas loss was, and how clearly the advanced numbers point toward a fix that’s already sitting on the roster, this feels like exactly the kind of decision that shouldn’t wait much longer — especially with tougher Big Ten competition still to come.