I don't want to whine about the Texas game, but I have to discuss it to explain why I rated JT's performance a little lower since we didn't win that game.
The TD drop, the late fumble, and the extremely late safety weren't the only reasons we lost the game. But the coach is ultimately responsible for everything that happens on the field anyway.
He made decisions that allowed Texas the FG at the end of the first half, along with the 15-yard penalty after the pooch kick. I didn't think the pooch was a bad idea, and the penalty hurt more, but that 3 points was big for Texas.
Late in the game, if he would have played total Tressel-ball when we had a 6-point lead and a first down at the 29-yard line with 6 minutes to go, we would have run the ball 3 straight times, keeping it in-bounds, and put it in the middle of the field with about 4 minutes left. Incomplete passes on 2 of 3 plays kept about an extra minute on the clock. The unfortunate catch of the batted ball by Pittman moved the ball from the middle to the left hash, as well as losing 4 yards. From the middle of the field, a Huston kick of the same quality would have been good, giving us a 9-point lead.
JT rarely gets criticized for throwing the ball unsuccessfully. But I was in the stands, just looking for us to run clock and set up the field goal. We threw the ball, and got no points when we really didn't need a TD.
I love JT, and I already stated there's nobody else I want as tOSU's head coach. And I will not "Monday-morning coach" him - I will only criticize a specific action of JT when I see what the options are and make my decision at the same time he does, before the play happens. The series of plays just before the FG miss were out of character for JT, and the strategy didn't work.
But we might still get another shot at Texas this year.