If the first half of Texas vs Ohio State had been a tell of how the game would end, Texas would have lost in a blowout. For the whole first half, Texas looked dead in the water against a dominant Ohio State defense. The Longhorns’ running back, Raleek Brown, fumbled the ball on the very first play of the game, with Jay Timmons coming up with the ball. On the next possession, Arch Manning had Cam Coleman wide open and threw a great pass, but Coleman failed to catch it; it bounced off his chest and was intercepted.
Ohio State dominated the first half, with the Buckeyes spending most of the opening two quarters on the Texas side of the field. Jeremiah Smith had a huge first half with six catches for 110 yards; he looked unstoppable, and the Longhorns had no answer for him. (ESPN) The combination of Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobe Jackson also proved to be a problem for the Texas defense in the first half with their powerful runs. Texas was outplayed in every aspect of the first half and had no answer for how dominant Ohio State looked overall.
At halftime of the Texas vs Ohio State, the Texas Longhorns were down 20-3 and looked like they had no chance of winning or even competing. It looked like one of the most embarrassing performances, with Texas looking completely lackluster. The Longhorns beat themselves more than anything else with sloppy mistakes, including dropped and overthrown passes. They looked rattled and like they weren’t ready for the big pressure of the game.
There wasn’t much offensive action in the 3rd quarter, with Ohio State outscoring Texas 3-0. It was an all-defensive quarter, with neither team able to move the ball downfield or get its offense going. Even though the 3rd quarter was 3-0 and the game was 23-3, the stalemate became crucial. Texas’ defense stepped up and allowed Ohio State to score only three points, keeping the Buckeyes from extending their lead.
The third quarter was low-scoring, and the Texas defense didn’t give Ohio State anything, leading to a huge fourth quarter. This allowed for one of the craziest fourth quarters we have seen. The defense did its job in the third quarter, and the offense just needed to step up to have a chance at a comeback.
We just witnessed one of the craziest fourth quarters: Texas was down 23-3 and still won. After three quarters of looking like they were stuck in mud, the offense finally clicked and got going. Arch Manning got a groove and started connecting on big passes, and the running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers got going with the ground game. For one quarter, the roles completely reversed from the first three quarters.
Arch Manning hit Ryan Wingo on a three-yard pass for a touchdown to get the offensive explosion going. After that touchdown, the whole offense seemed to gain confidence and belief that they could make the comeback. Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown were wearing down the Ohio State defense the whole second half. They were both able to break off big runs in the fourth quarter due to that.
Hollywood Smothers broke through for the second touchdown, making the score 23-17 and putting all the pressure on the Ohio State Buckeyes. The next drive for the Buckeyes looked like it might be dangerous territory for the Texas Longhorns, with Ohio State driving the ball. Just when it looked like Ohio State was going to go down and score, Texas made another crucial stop, forcing a field goal. Kicker Connor Hawkins had a chance to put the game away with a field goal that would have made it 26-17, but unfortunately for Ohio State, he missed.
Down six with about four minutes left, Arch Manning had one chance to prove everyone wrong. Manning made all the big plays, proving to be clutch alongside his two running backs as they got the ball down the field. Texas got downfield and right to the goal line with about a minute left. This goal-line stand felt like it lasted an eternity, with timeouts, stoppages, and replays, all leading to another Hollywood Smothers touchdown run and giving Texas the 24-23 lead.
Texas vs. Ohio State gave us a game for the ages, with Texas completing one of the most remarkable comebacks ever. As soon as the final pass from Sayin got intercepted, you could see the excitement and joy on every player’s and coach’s face. This was more than just a win for this Texas team; they gave everything they had, both offensively and defensively. Texas vs. Ohio State gave football fans a game never to forget.
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