It was cold. Not "Ohio winter" cold, but that sterile, air-conditioned chill of AT&T Stadium in Arlington. If you’re a Buckeye fan, you probably remember exactly where you were when the Ohio State football Cotton Bowl matchup against Missouri kicked off on December 29, 2023. You probably also remember the sinking feeling in your gut by the end of the first quarter.
Honestly, it was a mess.
We’re talking about a 14-3 loss that felt significantly worse than the score indicated. It wasn't just a loss; it was a vibe shift. For a program that expects to be in the College Football Playoff every single year, landing in a New Year's Six bowl is already a bit of a letdown. But then? To show up and put up three points? That’s the kind of thing that keeps Ryan Day up at night.
The Devin Brown Experiment and the QB Carousel
Let's get real about the quarterback situation. Kyle McCord had already hit the transfer portal, headed for Syracuse. That left the keys to Devin Brown. Everyone wanted to see what the kid could do. He had the "toughness" narrative. He had the wheels. Then, life happened.
Brown went down with a high ankle sprain early in the game. It was brutal to watch. Suddenly, the Buckeyes were leaning on Lincoln Kienholz, a true freshman who was essentially thrown into a cage with a very hungry Missouri defense. Kienholz finished 6-of-17 for 86 yards. You can't win big-time football games with those numbers.
The offensive line didn't help. They looked like they were skating on grease most of the night. Missouri’s defensive front, led by guys like Darius Robinson, lived in the backfield. If you want to know why Ohio State went crazy in the transfer portal a few weeks later, look no further than those 60 minutes in Texas. It exposed the lack of depth at the most critical position on the field.
A Defense That Deserved Better
Jim Knowles actually called a masterpiece for about three and a half quarters. Jack Sawyer was a man possessed. He had three sacks. He was everywhere. The defense held Missouri scoreless for a massive chunk of that game.
📖 Related: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
But you can only bend for so long before you snap.
Eventually, the Tigers' Cody Schrader started finding those tiny creases. Missouri's Brady Cook stayed patient. When your own offense is punting every three minutes, your defense is going to get gassed. That’s exactly what happened in the fourth quarter. Missouri put together two long scoring drives, and that was curtains.
The "Opt-Out" Reality and the Missing Stars
We have to talk about Marvin Harrison Jr. He didn't play. Obviously. He was protecting his NFL draft stock, which turned out to be a smart move considering he went to the Cardinals at pick four. But his absence created a vacuum that nobody could fill. Emeka Egbuka was out there, but he was dealing with the defensive focus of a team that knew he was the only consistent threat left.
This is the new reality of the Ohio State football Cotton Bowl legacy. It’s a tale of two eras: the 2017 Cotton Bowl where the Buckeyes beat USC 24-7 with Sam Darnold under center, and this 2023 version that felt like a cautionary tale.
In 2017, the team felt like they had something to prove after being snubbed by the CFP committee. In 2023, the team felt like it was in transition. It felt like a group of players who were already thinking about next year or the NFL. That’s a harsh assessment, but if you watch the tape, the intensity levels between the two teams weren't even close. Missouri played like it was their Super Bowl. Ohio State played like it was a mandatory corporate retreat.
Why 14-3 Felt Like 40-0
The yardage told a story of total stagnation. 203 total yards for the Buckeyes. That is an abysmal stat for a Brian Hartline-coached offense. People were calling for heads on sticks. The message boards were a toxic wasteland of "Fire Ryan Day" threads.
👉 See also: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
But looking back with a bit of perspective, that game was the catalyst for the $20 million roster rebuild we saw in 2024. It was the "never again" moment. The program realized that they couldn't just "talent" their way through a game against a well-coached SEC team if they weren't locked in at quarterback and on the O-line.
Historical Context: Not All Cotton Bowls Are Equal
Ohio State has a weird relationship with this bowl.
- 1987: A 28-12 win over Texas A&M.
- 2017: The aforementioned dominant win over USC.
- 2023: The 14-3 slog against Mizzou.
The 2017 game was peak Urban Meyer era. J.T. Barrett wasn't flashy, but he was efficient. The defense was terrifying. They forced four turnovers. That game was used as a springboard. The 2023 game? It was used as a mirror. The coaching staff had to look at themselves and realize that the gap between them and the top of the mountain was wider than they thought.
The Impact on Recruiting and the Portal
Immediately after the Ohio State football Cotton Bowl disaster, the wheels started turning. Will Howard came in from Kansas State. Caleb Downs—the best safety in the country—jumped ship from Alabama. Quinshon Judkins left Ole Miss to join the backfield.
None of that happens if Ohio State wins that game 21-10. If they squeak out a win, the urgency isn't there. Failure is a powerful motivator in Columbus. The loss essentially gave Ryan Day the political capital he needed to tell boosters, "Look, we need to spend more on NIL if we want to compete." And boy, did they.
What Fans Get Wrong About the Mizzou Game
A lot of people blame the kids. They blame Kienholz for not being ready. That’s unfair. He was a true freshman from South Dakota who had barely taken reps with the ones. The real failure was the contingency planning.
✨ Don't miss: Por qué los partidos de Primera B de Chile son más entretenidos que la división de honor
The coaching staff assumed Devin Brown would be fine. They assumed the offensive line could mask any deficiencies. They were wrong. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz out-schemed the Buckeyes by simply being patient and waiting for the mistakes. It wasn't "SEC speed" that won that game; it was SEC composure.
Key Lessons for Future Bowl Seasons
- Depth is everything. You cannot rely on a single starter at QB without a viable backup who has taken meaningful snaps.
- The Trenches still matter. High-flying receivers are great, but if your QB is on his back in 2.5 seconds, it doesn't matter how fast your wideouts are.
- The "Opt-Out" Plan. Teams have to start practicing for bowl games as if their top stars aren't there from day one.
Actionable Takeaways for the Next Season
If you're tracking the Buckeyes moving forward, keep your eyes on the offensive line rotations in early September. The Ohio State football Cotton Bowl showed that a lack of cohesion upfront can tank an entire season.
Watch the development of the backup quarterbacks specifically during mop-up time in blowout wins. It’s not just "garbage time." It’s "preventing another 14-3 Cotton Bowl" time.
The 2023 Cotton Bowl will likely go down as the most important loss of the Ryan Day era. It forced a fundamental shift in how the program handles the transfer portal and NIL. It ended the "status quo." If you're a fan, you don't have to like that game. You can hate that it happened. But you have to acknowledge that it changed the trajectory of Ohio State football for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Go back and watch the fourth quarter of that game if you have the stomach for it. Look at the faces on the sideline. That frustration is what fueled the most expensive roster in college football history. That’s the real legacy of the Cotton Bowl.
To stay ahead of the curve, monitor the weekly injury reports and portal rumblings. The Buckeyes learned the hard way that a roster is only as strong as its 45th man. Don't just look at the stars; look at the guys waiting in the wings. That's where championships—or bowl game disasters—are actually made.