He won't be able to escape the public scorn seeping through the cocoon they keep him in and it will work on him like dripping acid. Speaking of dripping acid, there's the Mooch; she's gonna be all over his butt. She even started before he got off the stage.
His state of mind when he has to step out on the stage again with Romney will be very tenuous. He will have tried to rebuild the mythic bubble around his ego by latching onto every lame excuse proffered but deep inside he'll know that he's not up to the task. We may see something spectacular in the next debate.