COLUMBUS, OH – The highly anticipated debut of number 1-ranked Texas Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning didn’t unfold as planned, as the Longhorns fell to the 2024 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes 14-7 in a hostile environment at Ohio Stadium. Despite clear skies, the Longhorns’ offense struggled against a relentless Ohio State defense, failing to score for the first three quarters.
While Texas showed glimpses of promise in the second half, converting in the red zone proved to be a challenge. The Longhorns finally broke the scoring drought with 3:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when Manning connected with Livingstone on a 32-yard touchdown pass.
A late defensive stand gave Texas a glimmer of hope. The Longhorns’ defense successfully compelled a vital three-and-out, providing the offense with an opportunity to advance for a game-tying score. Beginning from their own 15-yard line, Texas progressed down the field; however, the drive came to a halt when Jack Endries was halted mere inches short of a first down at the Buckeyes’ 47-yard line by safety Caleb Downs, effectively extinguishing any hopes of a comeback.
“Ultimately, not good enough,” Manning said postgame. “Obviously, you don’t wanna start off the season 0 and 1. They’re a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I gotta play better for us to win. Can’t wait till the second half to kinda get things going.“
Despite the unsatisfactory outcome, Manning’s adjustments in the latter part of the game provided a hint of his potential for the current season. He demonstrated promise as the second half progressed, indicating a learning curve that may lead to success as the season develops.
“Probably the worst communication we had was on that fourth down at the very end when we should have slid all the way to that free rusher, ” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “And we just had a lapse that didn’t get all the way down the line to Brandon Baker. But all in all, I was pleased with those guys. We ran the, I think we could have thrown it better than we did. But we didn’t throw it the way we wanted to because of the offense. I thought the O-line gave us ample protection and opportunity to throw the ball down the field.”
The Longhorns will now regroup and prepare for their season home opener against San Jose State next Saturday at Texas Memorial Stadium, which will be broadcast on ABC. The team will look to build on the positive moments from the second half and correct the mistakes that plagued them in Columbus.
