Ryan Day was undoubtedly frustrated by TreVeyon Henderson’s uncharacteristic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Fortunately, the veteran Ohio State running back helped get his team back on the right side of things ahead of halftime.

During an early drive in the first half, the Buckeyes were rolling against Texas and carving out momentum against the defense. Then, Henderson was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for a shove to a Texas defender, stifling the drive and ultimately the offense.

That penalty stung as the Buckeyes struggled to get back on track throughout the first half with other self-inflicted wounds. The Longhorns eventually took advantage and rolled on a key drive to tie the game at 7-all late in the first half.

Then, Henderson struck for some quick lightning. He took a screen pass 75 yards for a game-changing touchdown before halftime to give the Buckeyes the lead at 14-7.

Heading into halftime, Ryan Day was asked about Henderson’s contributions, and the head coach admitted there’s no room for letting emotions get out of hand. However, he also knows Ohio State has the ultimate trust in Henderson and the attention will swing to winning the middle 8 by starting the 2nd half with a touchdown.

“He’s been around for a long time, so we trust him. He can’t let his emotions get out of whack here,” explained Day. “We knew it was going to be a battle, we knew it was going into the second half. So we did a great job here winning the end of the first half, now we’ve got to win the middle 8 by coming out with a great drive to start the 2nd half.”