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    A place for any Longhorn Fan to get the latest news from the On Texas Football team.
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    Jeff Howe
    Three Texas Longhorn alums will be on the field when the New England Patriots visit the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the 2026 NFL season on Wednesday (7:20 p.m., NBC).
    Michael Dickson and Byron Murphy II ended the 2025 season by helping the Seahawks top the Patriots and Brenden Schooler in Super Bowl LX. The return bout at Seattle’s Lumen Field will be highlighted by the Seahawks raising the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship banner.
    Dickson and Murphy are the latest Longhorns to be a part of a Seahawks Super Bowl team. Seattle has had at least one Texas product on its roster for each of the franchise’s four trips to the Super Bowl, with Dickson and Murphy joining D.D. Lewis (Super Bowl XL), Marcus Tubbs (XL) and Earl Thomas (XLVIII and XLIX).
    While Dickson and Murphy were drafted in 2018 and 2024, respectively, Schooler is one of nine former undrafted Longhorns on a 53-man roster entering Week. Ethan Burke is the latest member of the group after making the Baltimore Ravens’ 53-man roster, joining Schooler, Isaiah Bond (Cleveland Browns), PJ Locke III (Dallas Cowboys), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (Denver Broncos), Malcolm Roach (Broncos), Cameron Dicker (Los Angeles Chargers), Poona Ford (Los Angeles Rams) and Andrew Beck (New York Jets).
    — Trey Moore (Miami Dolphins), Jaylan Ford (New Orleans Saints) and DeShon Elliott (Pittsburgh Steelers) will begin their respective seasons on injured reserve with designations to return at some point during the season.
    Unfortunately, Alfred Collins won’t be joining them, with his impending trip to injured reserve for the San Francisco 49ers marking the official end of his second NFL season.
    Collins suffered a torn patellar tendon during the team's practice in Australia on Tuesday ahead of the 49ers’ season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday (7:35 p.m., Netflix). The No. 43 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Collins played in 16 regular-season games for the 49ers as a rookie and saw action in both of the team’s playoff games.
    While Collins is the only former Texas player on the 49ers roster for lifetime Longhorn Kyle Shanahan, the Rams’ roster features five products from the Forty Acres: Ford and Jordan Whittington on the active roster, Matthew Caldwell on injured reserve and Jack Bouwmeester and Bill Norton on the practice squad.
    — The number of Longhorns in the NFL entering Week 1 is 53. That includes 43 on 53-man rosters, six on practice squads and four on injured reserve (Caldwell was placed on season-ending injured reserve when the Rams cut their roster down to 53 players).
    The number of Texas products on the practice squad is the same as it was after cutdown. The players, however, have changed.
    The Kansas City Chiefs released Cole Brevard after waiving him on cutdown day and bringing him back to the practice squad. Brevard worked out for the Buffalo Bills last Friday, but the team didn't sign him.
    Thankfully, D’Shawn Jamison helped the numbers hold steady. On the same day Brevard worked out for the Bills, the Arizona Cardinals added Jamison to their practice squad, giving the Cardinals three former Longhorns in the organization (Hayden Conner and Devin Duvernay are on the 53-man roster).
    ***
    Longhorns in the NFL in Week 1: 53
    Longhorns on the 53: 43
    Practice Squad: 6
    Injured Reserve: 4
    ***
    Arizona Cardinals (3): Hayden Conner, Devin Duvernay, D’Shawn Jamison*
    Atlanta Falcons (2): Bijan Robinson, Cameron Williams
    Baltimore Ravens (1): Ethan Burke
    Carolina Panthers (2): Jonathan Brooks, Ja’Tavion Sanders
    Chicago Bears (3): Roschon Johnson, Christian Jones*, Malik Muhammad
    Cincinnati Bengals (1): Jack Endries
    Cleveland Browns (1): Isaiah Bond
    Dallas Cowboys (2): PJ Locke III, Demarvion Overshown
    Denver Broncos (5): Jahdae Barron, Sam Ehlinger, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Brandon Jones, Malcolm Roach
    Green Bay Packers (2): Matthew Golden, Barryn Sorrell
    Jacksonville Jaguars (1): Quinn Ewers
    Kansas City Chiefs (1): Xavier Worthy
    Los Angeles Chargers (1): Cameron Dicker
    Los Angeles Rams (5): Jack Bouwmeester*, Matthew Caldwell#, Poona Ford, Bill Norton*, Jordan Whittington
    Miami Dolphins (3): DJ Campbell, Trey Moore#, Michael Taaffe
    New England Patriots (1): Brenden Schooler
    New Orleans Saints (3): Kelvin Banks Jr., Vernon Broughton, Jaylan Ford#
    New York Jets (4): Andrew Beck, Adonai Mitchell, Joseph Ossai, T’Vondre Sweat
    Philadelphia Eagles (4): Jaydon Blue*, Jake Majors*, Andrew Mukuba, Moro Ojomo
    Pittsburgh Steelers (1): DeShon Elliott#
    San Francisco 49ers (1): Alfred Collins
    Seattle Seahawks (2): Michael Dickson, Byron Murphy II
    Tennessee Titans (2): Gunnar Helm, Anthony Hill Jr.
    Washington Commanders (2): Samuel Cosmi, Charles Omenihu
    * — Practice Squad
    # — Injured Reserve
    Jeff Howe
    AUSTIN, Texas — The most fascinating matchup when No. 4 Texas welcomes No. 1 Ohio State to DKR is between two men who won’t play a snap on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC).
    Ryan Day has turned the Buckeye offense over to Arthur Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons coach who spent the last two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. Steve Sarkisian hired Will Muschamp as the head coach of the Longhorn defense when he brought him back for his second stint on the Forty Acres, which started with last week's 59-7 thumping of Texas State.
    Wisely, neither coach showed much in their respective openers. Still, their units produced big plays in lopsided season-opening wins.
    Smith’s Ohio State offense rolled up 671 total yards (9.3 yards per play), with seven plays from scrimmage that went for 20 yards or more (the Buckeyes averaged 4.1 20-plus-yard plays per game in 2025) in a 56-3 rout of Ball State. Muschamp’s defense forced three Bobcat turnovers last Saturday, including Rasheem Biles' forced fumble, which led to Graceson Littleton's 59-yard scoop-and-score.
    Both coordinators want to highlight players who can take over the game.
    Smith would love to facilitate Jeremiah Smith’s breakout game against Texas. That's one of several facets of the Ohio State offense that poses problems for Muschamp's group.
    The Longhorns held arguably the most talented offensive player in the country without a touchdown in two meetings with the Buckeyes. Smith turned 13 targets into seven catches for 46 yards and two dropped passes against Texas, according to Pro Football Focus; the Cotton Bowl (one catch for three yards) is Smith’s least productive game in the 30 he’s played for Ohio State, while last season’s yardage total in Columbus is the seventh-lowest he’s recorded in a game.
    Arthur Smith went with a heavy dose of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) to help the Buckeyes get the running game untracked (Smith’s offenses with the Steelers ranked in the top half of the NFL in snaps out of 12 personnel in 2024 and 2025, respectively). While Ohio State entered halftime with 35 net rushing yards on 17 attempts (2.1 yards per carry) against the Cardinals, the running game exploded in the second half, ending the day with 237 net yards on the ground (249 yards and 7.5 yards per attempt when adjusted to exclude two sacks).
    Muschamp’s defense is expected to throw multiple looks at what should be a more dynamic offense, quarterbacked by Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin. That means using Biles and Colin Simmons, who finished last season’s 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes with two tackles and a critical penalty that aided a Buckeye touchdown drive, as moveable chess pieces, which will force the Ohio State offensive line and Sayin to communicate amid a raucous crowd when locating two of college football’s best box defenders before the snap.
    “When you have a plan against somebody like him, you can't just throw all fastballs,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “As good a fastball as you have, if that's all you've got, sooner or later they're going to hit it. We've got to be able to mix our pitches up and how we defend him and how we defend the scheme. Arthur and Ryan, they believe in running the ball. They've got a good runner (Bo Jackson and Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson both rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown against Ball State) and a good O-line. They've got other weapons.
    “Not every game you go into where you say, 'Hey, we need to know where this guy is every snap,'” he added. “We'd better know where No. 4 is on every snap.”
    Arthur Smith must put together a plan that unlocks Jeremiah Smith and creates playmaking opportunities for the Buckeyes’ other weapons, including UTSA transfer wide receiver Devin McCuin, who caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in his Ohio State debut. Carnell Tate took advantage of the attention paid to Smith, catching seven balls for 87 yards in the Cotton Bowl and hauling in a game-clinching 40-yard touchdown last season at the Horseshoe.
    The biggest question Muschamp faces is whether he can maximize his edge over the Ohio State offense.
    It's a role reversal from last season when Matt Patricia, who hadn’t called a game defensively since his three-year stint as the Detroit Lions coach ended in 2020, made life difficult for Sarkisian's offense in Arch Manning’s first-ever road start. The shoe is on the other foot in 2026, with Day and Smith trying to figure out what Muschamp, who hadn't been an in-game defensive play-caller since 2020 before doing so against Texas State, will do.
    “Coach Muschamp's a great coach, and we all have a lot of respect for him,” Day said on Tuesday. “But he really hasn't called the game in a while, so there's unknown here on how it's going to play out, what they're going to do defensively. We have to be able to respond to that in-game and figure that part of it out.”
    Other matchups to watch when No. 4 Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday:
    — Texas WRs Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo vs. Ohio State CBs Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Devin Sanchez
    Does Patricia have faith that his highly-touted cornerbacks can win one-on-one battles with the talented Longhorn wideouts? The Buckeyes dropped a lot of defenders into coverage in last season’s matchup with Texas, but that was against a wide receiver group without Emmett Mosley V (injury), with Wingo as the only proven commodity.
    While the Longhorns would love to take advantage of the speed and playmaking ability on the perimeter down the field, that can only happen if Manning can adequately execute the quick passing game and if Texas can run the football with any measure of consistency.
    — Texas Interior Offensive Line vs. Ohio State DTs Eddrick Houston and John Walker
    Taking away Raleek Brown’s 21-yard touchdown run in the third quarter brings into focus how the Longhorns struggled to run the football between the tackles against Texas State. Minus Brown’s scamper on a delayed handoff, Texas recorded 14 rushing attempts on A- and B-gap runs for 37 yards (2.6 yards per attempt), with a 7-yard run by James Simon the longest of the day.
    It’s a much tougher challenge for Connor Robertson, Brandon Baker and whoever’s in the game at left guard (Sarkisian said Monday that the plan for now is to continue rotating Laurence Seymore and Dylan Sikorski) this week against the Buckeyes. Houston and Walker, a transfer from UCF, can go a long way toward wrecking Sarkisian’s game plan by winning the line-of-scrimmage battle.
    It’s imperative that the Longhorns prevent that from happening.
    — Texas Edges Lance Jackson and Zina Umeozulu vs. Ohio State OTs Phillip Daniels and Ian Moore
    The trench concerns for the Buckeyes reside on the edges, where Daniels was benched early in the win over Ball State. It’s a given that Ohio State has to know where Simmons is, but this would be a great time for Jackson or Umeozulu to emerge as the kind of pass-rushing threat who can make teams pay for playing them straight up.
    Texas forcing Arthur Smith to put an extra tight end on the field to deal with edge pressure is a lot different than the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator utilizing 12 personnel purely out of personal preference. Simmons needs one of the two edge defenders opposite him to start taking steps toward being a reliable threat who can be counted on to get to the quarterback.
    — Texas LB Justin Cryer vs. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin
    Last season, Sayin was tremendous when attacking the middle of the field. According to PFF, 27 percent of his pass attempts in 2025 came on throws between the hashes and within nine yards of the line of scrimmage, which accounted for the highest percentage of his throws.
    Sayin was 96-for-106 through the air for 888 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions when throwing the ball to the part of the field Cryer will be responsible for covering. Furthermore, Sayin was 26-for-33 for 424 yards, five touchdowns and one interception on middle-of-the-field throws from 10-19 yards down the field (93.9 PFF grade); his 99.9 PFF grade on middle-field throws of 20 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage was his highest-graded target area of the season (19-for-24, 763 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception).
    Until proven otherwise, the path of least resistance trying to move the football against the Longhorns is to force Cryer and the Texas safeties to make plays in space. The second and third levels of the defense handled the challenge they faced from Texas State, but the degree of difficulty accomplishing the task will be cranked up several notches on Saturday.
    Jeff Howe
    AUSTIN, Texas — Offensive issues in the red zone alone aren't to blame for Texas entering a colossal bout with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), saddled with a two-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.
    Still, it’s hard not to look at the Longhorns’ woes inside the 20 when trying to figure what must change to achieve a different outcome in their third meeting with Ohio State in just over 600 days. Steve Sarkisian said as much on Monday when asked if Texas took the right steps in the offseason to fix its issues in goal-to-go situations against the Buckeyes.
    “When it comes to those scenarios, personnel helps,” Sarkisian said. “Schemes help, the right play call at the right time helps, the mentality helps. It all adds up because they've got good scheme(s), they've got good players, they've got good play-callers. It's the marriage of those two things coming together. Ultimately, we need to be better in those scenarios. You just think about these last two games we've played them; that was probably the difference in the ballgame was our inability to score inside the 10.”
    The red-zone issues were front and center during last season’s 14-7 season-opening loss in Columbus. The Longhorns failed to score on their two trips inside the Ohio State 20-yard line, including a sloppy attempt at a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the second quarter and back-to-back incomplete passes by Arch Manning (a crossing route to Ryan Wingo on third down and a corner route to Parker Livingstone on fourth down) from the Buckeyes’ 9-yard line in the fourth quarter.
    Last season, Texas was 4-for-7 in the red zone in its three losses, with its 57.1-percent scoring rate ranking 127th among FBS teams who had at least one red-zone possession in a loss. With only three total red-zone touchdowns in losses to Ohio State, Florida and Georgia, the Longhorns tied for 107th in FBS with a 42.9-percent red-zone touchdown rate.
    Unfortunately, red-zone misfires have been a trend in Texas’ last eight losses under Sarkisian.
    Since the start of the 2023 season, the Longhorns are 15-for-24 in the red zone in their eight losses (Oklahoma, Washington, Florida, Georgia three times and the Buckeyes twice). Along with recording a 62.5-percent scoring rate, Texas has also tallied an abysmal 41.7-percent touchdown rate in those losses, scoring only 10 touchdowns on 24 red-zone possessions.
    The Longhorns have an 84.4-percent red-zone scoring rate in their last 36 wins (135-for-160), including a 6-for-7 mark in last Saturday’s 59-7 rout of Texas State. James Simon’s 6-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left to play against the Bobcats was the 100th red-zone touchdown (62.5-percent red-zone touchdown rate) Texas has scored in a win since it dispatched Rice, 37-10, to open the 2023 season with a victory.
    The Longhorns need to reverse the trend to change their fate against opponents ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 (2-5 since 2023). Included in Texas' nine failed red-zone possessions across its last eight losses are some of the most painful what-if moments of Sarkisian’s tenure.
    — The Sooners’ goal-line stand in 2023. Texas came up empty after facing first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
    — The Longhorns couldn’t finish a potential game-winning drive against the Huskies in the 2024 Sugar Bowl, failing to score after driving the ball to the Washington 12-yard line with 15 seconds on the clock.
    — Texas settled for field goals on its last drive in regulation and its lone possession of overtime in a 22-19 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game in 2024.
    —  A forgettable sequence in a Cotton Bowl loss to Ohio State, which went downhill after the Longhorns had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 3:56 remaining in regulation.
    Under Sarkisian, Texas has ascended high enough in college football’s national championship race to see the summit.
    It would’ve been easier to deal with the College Football Playoff losses in particular if the Longhorns had been blown out in both games, Sarkisian joked. While a win over the Buckeyes wouldn’t guarantee Texas a trip to Las Vegas for the CFP title game, it would be a monumental step in helping the program reach heights it hasn't since Vince Young crossed the goal line on fourth-and-5 in the Rose Bowl more than 20 years ago.
    “When you're that close, it's probably harder to get over, but I say it a lot: that's the life of a competitor,” Sarkisian said. “We're very fortunate to put ourselves in that arena, to put ourselves on that stage and I wouldn't want it any other way than to be on that stage. There's a lot of other people that were sitting at home on their couch watching us play in that game. The goal is to win that one and then win one more. We've got to do everything in our power to try to put ourselves back in those positions to be even better if we're fortunate enough to be in that situation again.”
    That includes improving their execution in critical situations like the red zone, which should play a significant role in determining the outcome of another top-five tussle with the Buckeyes.
    Other statistics to follow when No. 4 Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday:
    — The Longhorns haven’t had a problem generating explosive plays against the Buckeyes. Texas had a 9-4 edge in explosives (rushing attempt of 12 or more yards and a pass completion of 15 or more yards) in the Cotton Bowl and a 7-2 advantage in Columbus.
    Nevertheless, the Buckeyes made theirs count, whereas the Longhorns’ production was largely for naught.
    Of the 16 explosive plays Texas has tallied in the two games, only five led to a touchdown or reached the end zone. Five of Ohio State’s six, however, occurred on a touchdown drive or scored, including Julian Sayin’s game-deciding 40-yard touchdown strike to Carnell Tate in the fourth quarter.
    — If red-zone issues weren’t solely responsible for the Longhorns losing the game last season, penalties could’ve been largely to blame. The Buckeyes’ first touchdown drive (a 13-play, 80-yard march in the second quarter) was aided by a 15-yard face mask penalty against Colin Simmons on third-and-4 from the Texas 44 and a 10-yard defensive holding call against Malik Muhammad two plays later.
    The Longhorns also had a safety wiped off the board when Simmons forced a holding call in the end zone in the third quarter, only for Liona Lefau to get called for illegal hands to the face, forcing second-and-9 from the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line to be replayed. Ohio State won the penalty battle in a landslide (two for 15 yards, whereas Texas was assessed six penalties for 50 yards), which the Longhorns can’t repeat.
    — To-go distance on third down is more critical to Texas because the Buckeyes have won the last two games despite going a combined 6-for-22 on third down. While the Longhorns finished last season’s game at the Horseshoe with an average to-go distance of 5.5 yards on third down, they were 1-for-6 on third-and-8 longer (the only conversion was a 32-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Livingstone on third-and-10, which was third-and-5 before Texas was flagged for a false start).
    Sarkisian will have more of his call sheet available on critical downs if the offense stays as close to on-schedule as possible. That’s where the running game will be a huge factor, especially with the Longhorns coming off a game against Texas State in which nine of the team’s 31 rushing attempts by a running back (29 percent) were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage.
    Texas can’t count on a 2-for-4 day on third-and-9 plus like the offense had last Saturday. Likewise, Will Muschamp’s defense will look to put Ohio State behind the chains more often than the Bobcats, who averaged 4.3 yards to go on third down (nine of Texas State's 14 third-down conversion attempts were third-and-4 or less).
    — It shouldn't need to be said that turnover margin is important in a game of this magnitude. It's hugely important for the Longhorns, though, who are 6-12 under Sarkisian when they lose the turnover margin. That includes their losses to the Buckeyes; a David Gbenda interception against Will Howard in the Cotton Bowl is the only turnover Texas has forced in its last eight quarters against Ohio State.
    Jeff Howe
    AUSTIN, Texas — Rasheem Biles' impact in his Texas debut made a strong impression on the SEC office. Strong enough to garner co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday.
    The weekly recognition comes on the heels of Biles recording five tackles, half of a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception in a 59-7 season-opening rout of Texas State.
    Biles’ forced fumble in the second quarter was scooped up by Graceson Littleton, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. His third-quarter interception of an attempted screen pass inside the Bobcats’ 40-yard line led a three-play touchdown drive, which ended with a 21-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown.
    Throughout preseason practice, Steve Sarkisian said Biles was “a problem” on the practice field, similar to how he’s described Colin Simmons’ on-field impact. Sarkisian said the same thing about the Pitt transfer on Monday, lauding everything Biles brings to the table ahead of the Longhorns’ highly anticipated clash with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN).
    “He's a problem because he has a unique skill set. In high school, this guy was a DB, so he's got coverage skills; he's got route recognition; but on top of that, he's got instincts that are hard to quantify,” Sarkisian said. “The screen he gets the interception on, they were trying to deceive us with a bolt motion by the running back with kind of a tunnel screen coming back inside and he sees it, puts his foot in the ground. There's certain guys that the ball finds them or you can say they find the ball.
    “He almost recovers the fumble that Maraad (Watson) causes, too. Not to mention, there's not many guys that are in a hole where there's about a five-yard space that would think, 'Here comes a runner, and my first thought is I'm going to six-inch punch the ball as I'm striking him in the face.’ Most guys are thinking, 'Just get him on the ground.' But he plays the game on another level intellectually,” he added. “A lot of guys probably can do that; he has the skill set to match it, to have the ability to do that. We're fortunate because he is versatile. He can play in pass coverage. He can play the run. He can rush the quarterback. He's got ball skills. He's got instincts. All of those things add up to he's a problem.”
    Texas needs Biles to be a problem when the top-ranked Buckeyes come to town on Saturday. A Columbus native, Biles, who attended Pickerington Central, admitted during a preseason media availability that he didn’t consider returning home to play for Ohio State when he entered the transfer portal.
    “They called, but I’m not — I didn’t want to stay in Columbus, if I’m being honest,” Biles said. “Obviously, we’ve got agents and made my list. I told my mom, ‘Columbus?‘I ain’t really trying to be in Columbus. I ain’t trying to be a Buckeye. They didn’t want me out of high school and I was right there; no point in trying to get me now.
    “I’m excited for that game, definitely,” Biles said. “That’s circled on my calendar, for sure.”
    Jeff Howe
    One of the few times Texas attacked the line of scrimmage with multiple defenders against Texas State was one of the plays made in the 59-7 win over the Bobcats that needs to carry over to the Longhorns’ blockbuster non-conference battle with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC).
    After Texas State converted a third-and-4 on its opening drive, it tried to crank up the tempo. While trying to catch Will Muschamp’s defense flat-footed on second-and-6 from the Bobcats’ 40-yard line, Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer busted loose into the backfield. Torrance Burgess Jr. slipped away from the Texas linebackers, but Jelani McDonald was right there to clean up the play, resulting in the defense’s first tackle for loss of 2026.
    Texas State’s average to-go distance on third down was 4.3 yards. The Bobcats faced third-and-4 or less on nine (5-for-9) of the 14 times (8-for-14) they lined up to try and move the sticks on third down.
    Expect Muschamp to be more aggressive on early downs to try and get the Buckeyes behind the chains. Ohio State was 5-for-11 on third down in its 56-3 season-opening win over Ball State, with an average to-go distance of 8.1 yards, which is how the Longhorns would prefer the Buckeyes to operate on critical downs.
    ***
    Texas has held Ohio State to a 6-for-22 mark on third down in the last two meetings. Still, the Buckeyes’ combined 2-for-3 mark on fourth down in their two wins over the Longhorns went a long way toward deciding the outcome; one of the conversions was Will Howard’s 18-yard run on fourth-and-2 in the Cotton Bowl en route to the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, while the other was CJ Donaldson’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal in Columbus last season.
    Texas held Texas State to a 1-for-3 mark on fourth down, with the first stop coming long before the outcome was decided. After Biles made a tremendous play in space to stop Brad Jackson for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2 from the Longhorns’ 40-yard line, Alex January got the defense off the field by sticking his paw up and knocking Jackson’s fourth-and-4 pass attempt to the ground.
    The Bobcats called a good fourth-down play, with Chris Dawn Jr. and Blake Smith crossing up Cryer and Graceson Littleton in coverage. Thankfully, January made the kind of play the Longhorns must get to flip the script in the Ohio State series.
    ***
    Steve Sarkisian needs to be at his best as a play-caller if Texas is going to get the scarlet-and-gray monkey off its back. That will require setting up big plays the way he did on the offense’s second possession.
    A swing pass to Raleek Brown helped set up Arch Manning’s 21-yard completion to Ryan Wingo on fourth-and-2 from the Texas State 40-yard line in the second quarter. On both plays, Sarkisian sent Nick Townsend in motion from the short side of the field to the wide side, forming a trey set (a tight end and two receivers on one side of the field in a three-by-one formation).
    On the pass to Brown, Townsend motioned toward the field as a lead blocker, leading the way for Brown’s 11-yard gain. The Longhorns ran the same action on fourth-and-2 and, with Townsend and Brown selling the swing pass, Manning’s slight pump fake sold the short pass long enough to hold the Bobcat defenders and allow Wingo to get open down the sideline.
    ***
    The game has slowed down significantly for Manning since he walked into the Horseshoe for last season’s opener for his third carrier start. More in tune with the offense and playing off his instincts, Manning selling the swing pass to Brown before hitting Wingo for a chunk-yardage play on fourth down was one of several plays he made that can’t be appreciated if you’re only looking at the box score.
    On the Texas offense’s third scoring drive, Manning made a savvy play after getting the Bobcats to jump into the neutral zone on third-and-9 from the Texas State 46. Instead of taking a deep shot or taking a risk he otherwise wouldn’t, knowing he had an upcoming third-and-4 in his back pocket, Manning carried out the play, slinging the ball to Hollywood Smothers for an 11-yard gain and a first down at the Bobcats’ 35-yard line.
    Six plays later, Raleek Brown scored from 13-yard out behind Townsend and Trevor Goosby to make it a three-score game, 21-0. What Manning did leading up to the touchdown, including a 16-yard pickup on a pass to Wingo out of a scramble situation and a quick pass to Townsend for nine yards on first down from the Texas State 21, are tangible signs that the Buckeyes aren’t facing the same quarterback they saw last season.
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