We are back, folks. Wish I was back in the saddle on a happier note, but the season opened on a sour note up in Columbus on Saturday afternoon with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns losing 14-7 to the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium.
It was a defensive slog of a game throughout and points were at a premium. Neither quarterback lit the world on fire, but the Buckeye offense did just enough to get out of this one with the victory.
There is plenty to talk about from yesterday’s season opener, both good and bad. This was always a tough draw for a Week One matchup, but the opportunities to get it done were there and Texas didn’t get it done. Lets get this thing rolling, and get into what went right and what went wrong in Columbus.
Texas did not execute on money downs and in the red zone
The offensive red-zone issues that plagued Texas last season reared its ugly head once again in Columbus. Texas had two separate opportunities in the red zone, where scoring a touchdown would have tied the game and both times the Longhorns walked away empty handed with no points.
I wasn’t a fan of this play call on fourth and short given that Texas tried to go on a quick snap and with how Ohio State was aligned pre-snap.
If you aren’t the Philadelphia Eagles with the best offensive line in all of football, then you probably shouldn’t be trying to run a rushed Tush Push in this scenario. I was fine with Sark opting to go for it here given that points were at a premium and threes were probably not going to win you this game, but I was not a fan at all of the play call and how they went about it. Brutal call and brutal execution.
In the red zone again here and the same result. This time it is 4th and 3 and Manning puts a good ball into Livingstone, but the coverage isn’t bad and he can’t come up with it. Texas was 1-of-5 on fourth downs and 5-of-14 on third downs against Ohio State on Saturday. That ain’t going to get it done. The Longhorns were fortunate that the Buckeyes were just as bad or worse on money downs; otherwise, this game could have been worse on the scoreboard.
Arch Manning never got into a rhythm
Expectations for Manning were very high coming into this game. Meeting those expectations against Ohio State was always going to be tough given the circumstances, but he did not do a good job executing the offense and never seemed to settle in once the game got going. On one hand, I feel like Steve Sarkisian didn’t do enough to help his young quarterback get into a groove early on, but I also saw a way too misfires from Arch when he had guys open and available.
This was his first pass on the first play of the game, and while I’m sure he had some nerves and was a little amped up, this is a ball that has to be completed.
This is the second to last pass of the game for Manning. Wingo is coming on a crossing route and is wide open. This ball needs to be out in front of Wingo in stride so he can get up the field, but instead it is behind him and he has to try to make a tough play on the ball. Instead of having potentially a first down and more momentum on the potential game tying drive, it is an incomplete pass.
He has to clean this up, and I am sure AJ Milwee and Sark are going to hammer him on stuff like this week.
Overall, Arch just never seemed like he settled into this game and got comfortable. He did end up ripping some good throws in this game, but it was very up and down. Pro tip, Arch: do not search your name on social media tonight.
Texas showed encouraging signs running the football and in pass protection
I know a lot of fans are going to have that last blown protection of the game fresh in their mind, but I really thought that overall, the Texas offensive line fared well in their first assignment of the season up in Columbus. Yes, Brandon Baker is on the hook for two false starts and allowing a pressure on the last offensive snap. But as a whole, I felt like Kyle Flood’s group did a good job of establishing a new line of scrimmage in the run game, which was the biggest positive for the Texas offensive in my opinion. 166 yards on the ground from Tre Wisner and Cedric Baxter at 4.5 yard per carry is solid work against a good a defense and a great start to build off of.
I don’t have the official numbers from a pressure standpoint, but as far as the box score goes, Ohio State only tallied one sack and one TFL on Saturday. For a group that experienced plenty of turnover this offseason due to graduation and NFL declaration, I am came out of this game feeling a little bullish about the outlook for the Texas offensive line.
The Texas defense is still good
I am not breaking any news when I state that the Texas defense is still an elite group, even though they ended up on the wrong end of the box score on Saturday. The Longhorns defense didn’t make a bunch of splash plays or inflict as many negative plays as you would like to have seen, but at the end of the day they only allowed 203 yards of total offense and 14 points. The low lights of the day came on an early 13-play, eight-minute drive that was aided by two crucial penalties and the lone explosive play allowed via Carnell Tate on a 40-yard reception against Jaylon Guilbeau.
Outside of that, it was extremely tough sledding for the Ohio State offense. The Buckeyes only attained 11 first downs, rushed for 77 yards on 34 totes (2.3 yards per carry), and were even worse on money downs than the Texas offense was on Saturday. I am not worried one bit about the Texas defense coming out of this game. We didn’t hear the names of guys like Anthony Hill, Trey Moore, and Colin Simmons a lot, but as a unit they were very strong and fared well.
Speaking of names that we did or didn’t hear called, I saw Ohio State go after true freshman corner Graceson Littleton on back-to-back plays, including a snap where he was covering Jeremiah Smith. If what I saw is any indicator of what we have been hearing about this kid, then he is going to be a capital ‘D’ DAWG.
The biggest compliment for this Texas defense is this — the last two games they have played against Ohio State, they have held Jeremiah Smith to seven total receptions for a pedestrian 46 yards receiving. That is pretty damn impressive for a guy who will most certainly be an All-American and a three-and-done player as long as he stays healthy.
Texas needs more out of its offensive skill positions
No way of sugarcoating it. The Texas skill positions were simply not good enough on Saturday. I am not sure if it was a lack of creativity in the game planning, or if the Ohio State secondary is simply just that good, but guys just were not getting open consistently. Parker Livingstone had the best play of the game on his touchdown catch, and he had to fight his ass off to get it.
That was the best play by a Texas skill player all day. Tight end Jack Endries had a solid day at the office in his Texas debut, making a tough catch where he knew he was going to get hit and was able to come down with the ball.
That’s about all we have for highlights for the skill players. Ryan Wingo and Deandre Moore (a combined four catches for 41 yards on 11 targets) were very quiet in this game, and that is not something that can continue if this iteration of the Texas offense wants to sniff its ceiling. There was never any real juice between Manning struggling and guys not getting open down the field.
Bonus: Jack Bouwmeester is a special teams weapon for Texas
Texas has themselves a punter again. The 2024 campaign was a bad year overall for the Texas special teams, but this was an encouraging sign on Saturday and could be a huge asset for Texas this year.
The word coming out of the spring and fall camp was that Bouwmeester was dropping bombs in practice, but it was great to actually see it when the lights turned on and people were keeping score.
Not the result Texas fans were hoping for, but it is a very long season and far from the end of the world. Have to get in there on Monday and watch the film and put this one behind you. If you are new around here, you know I am a firm believer in the 24-hour rule win, lose, or draw. We are keeping that same energy in 2025, because the process is the process.
The 24-hour rule is officially in effect. After that it is on to San Jose State.