For the Texas Longhorns, emotions were running high as they opened their 2025 college football season against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was a battle between top-ranked Texas and No. 3-ranked Ohio State. Both teams played hard, but the Buckeyes kept highly-touted Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning pretty much in check.
When the final whistle blew, the Buckeyes had a 14-7 victory in front of a packed house at “The Shoe” in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 30.
In light of the loss, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian knows that there will have to be adjustments made.
Sarkisian addressed media members on Monday, Sept. 1, in his first press conference after the loss. Sarkisian had hoped to have his Longhorns ready for any challenge put up by Ohio State and its head coach, Ryan Day. It didn’t turn out like he had hoped it would in the end.
“I think the biggest thing coming out of it is lots to build on from that game,” Sarkisian said, according to Inside Texas. “I thought we built on a lot of things during the game. I thought we played a much better second half than we did in the first half. I thought all the way through our guys played hard. They fought. I think that was obviously evident there all the way into the fourth quarter at the end of the ball game.”
Manning was 17-of-30 passing for 170 yards and one touchdown, along with one interception. Texas outgained Ohio State 335-203 in total yards, yet it didn’t translate into points.
At times, Manning looked lost in the pocket. That was due to Ohio State’s stellar defensive performance, which defensive coordinator Matt Patricia mapped out. Patricia brings a wealth of NFL experience into his role, and it looked like it worked perfectly.
Sarkisian also talked about Manning’s performance.
“I think it’s learning from the game,” he said at the press conference. “I think one thing that happened a little bit to Arch is the game can mount on you a little bit, and you feel like ‘we’re not scoring’ or ‘I missed a read’ or ‘I missed a throw’ when in reality, you look at the scoreboard and it’s still 0-0. The game can mount, and you feel like you’ve got to make a play, but you look at the scoreboard and it’s 7-0, right? This was a tight game that I don’t think he needed to press, and I think he’ll learn that as we go.”
Texas needs to really look at the game film from top to bottom. This was probably done on Sunday night, giving the Longhorns players some time to relax after a stressful opening game.
Manning will have what should be three fairly easy tests in the coming three weeks, starting with San Jose State on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. He needs to take these three games seriously, focus on what didn’t work well against the Buckeyes, and make adjustments.
People may want to just sell Texas short after the loss. They might also want to look at Manning and say that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a top-ranked college quarterback. That’s a harsh tone to take, though. Manning received high praise from college football analysts and fans before the Ohio State game.
He’s still a college kid, though, who has to deal with everyday life on and off the football field.
Sarkisian has done a whale of a job in rebuilding Texas into a college football powerhouse. Sure, he’s shown to have hiccups in his own offensive game plan. Case in point: I think Manning should have been given a play where a running back took the ball when Texas was on Ohio State’s 1-yard line. The quarterback sneak felt a bit rushed, and Manning lost his footing.
The Longhorns probably will drop down several notches in a new Associated Press Top 25 poll when it is released on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Texas can just ignore where they are ranked for now.
From an offensive and defensive standpoint, Texas needs to tighten up its plans across the board. The Longhorns probably will not face a stiff test until they go into “The Swamp” and face the Florida Gators.
Any slip-ups before then, though, will leave Sarkisian and the Longhorns open for much more scorn.
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