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If you would’ve told me ahead of Saturday’s game that Texas would win the rushing yardage battle over Ohio State by 89 yards (166-77), limit the Buckeyes to a 4-for-14 effort on money downs (3-for-12 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth down), hold the Ohio State offense to 3.8 yards per play and dominate field position (the averaging starting field position for the Longhorns was their own 32-yard line, while the Buckeyes’ averaging starting field position was their own 20), I would’ve expected the outcome to be Steve Sarkisian’s team winning the game in relatively comfortable fashion.
Instead, the Longhorns suffered a 14-7 loss because some of the same critical issues that had plagued them last season resurfaced in a big way in Columbus on Saturday.
— It starts with penalties.
The totality of six accepted penalties for 50 yards was less than what Texas averaged in its three losses last season (eight accepted penalties for an average of 63 yards per game). Still, they accounted for some of the most critical plays in the game.
It’s hard to put any level of blame for the loss on the defense. Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit did everything it could to keep the Longhorns in the game.
Regardless, a hands-to-the-face penalty against Colin Simmons wiped out a third-down stop on an eventual Ohio State touchdown drive. The same penalty levied against Liona Lefau negated what would’ve been a safety (the call offset a holding call against Ohio State in the end zone).
Pre-snap penalties stunted the offense’s progress in the first half.
— The Longhorns pressured Julian Sayin (13-for-20, 126 yards and a touchdown), getting him off the spot and speeding him up on critical downs. The pass rush never got home, though, which was a credit to Ryan Day and Brian Hartline for dialing up easy throws for Sayin and positioning him so that he could throw the ball away without putting it in harm’s way.
The Texas defense was tremendous, even if it couldn’t force the negative play it needed to create to flip the game.
— Arch Manning’s legs limited the few negative plays the Buckeyes created, but, overall, the offensive line did a solid job in pass protection (Ohio State finished the game with one sack and one tackle for loss). Including the lone negative play (and a no-gainer, when Manning got back to the line of scrimmage on a scramble), the Longhorns ran the ball for 166 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per attempt.
I felt going into the game that if Manning (10 carries for 38 yards) had more than eight official rushing attempts, it wouldn’t be good for the offense. It wasn’t good because…
— Texas still doesn’t have an identity in the red zone. It’s easy to be disappointed when the play-caller doesn’t dial up the touchdown play, but I didn't like Sarkisian’s sequencing near the goal line, especially his decisions on second down.
On the first failed goal-to-go situation, he called a between-the-tackles run for Manning that was stuffed for a 1-yard gain after CJ Baxter (10 carries for 40 yards) ran for five yards on first-and-goal from the 9-yard line.
— I’m accusing Sarkisian of something I used to fault Tom Herman for, which is putting an arrogant game plan into motion. The game Sarkisian called in the first half lacked creativity, with Sarkisian seeming willing to let his squad play the Buckeyes straight-up to see where they stood.
Things got better in the second half (257 total yards and 6.3 yards per play after halftime). Ohio State also deserves credit for causing some of the issues (Arvell Reese, who finished the game with nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, might’ve been the best player on the field for the Buckeyes).
With that said, it was the most unimaginative, uninspiring game plan I can remember seeing from Sarkisian.
— Even when Sarkisian’s call was the right one, the offense (more often than not) suffered from Manning (17-for-30, 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception) missing throws or wide receivers failing to catch the ball. I don’t know if Manning had happy feet, felt panicked/rushed or couldn’t anticipate where to go with the ball, but the passing game never clicked.
— I’m handing out defensive game balls for this one to Lefau (nine tackles and a tackle for loss), Graceson Littleton (credited with one tackle and a pass breakup, but his presence was tremendous in his debut), Malik Muhammad (six tackles and a nice pass breakup in coverage against Jeremiah Smith, who had six catches for 43 yards, but never took over the game), Ty’Anthony Smith (a nice open-field tackle against Smith to force a Buckeye punt late in the first half) and the interior defensive line (Alex January, Maraad Watson and Cole Brevard had their moments). On offense, here’s to noteworthy performances by Baxter (a tremendous blitz pickup on a first-down throw from Manning to Parker Livingstone), Livingstone (a nice contested catch for the offense’s only touchdown), Jack Endries (who turned six targets into four receptions for 50 yards) and Quintrevion Wisner (a game-high 80 yards on 16 carries).
— Texas won’t play a team with a pulse until Florida in Gainesville on Oct. 4. Still, I want to see how Manning, Sarkisian and the Longhorns respond and grow in the remaining three non-conference games before the Sept. 27 open date.
The reaction from national pundits and opposing fans is and will continue to be visceral. The No. 1 team in the country face-planted on a massive stage to open the season, and, given Manning’s performance and Sarkisian’s 2-12 record as a head coach against top-five opponents (1-6 record at Texas), the Longhorns won’t feel the love until they put a better product on the field against a quality foe.
What Sarkisian said about Manning in his postgame press conference applies to the 2025 squad and where it goes from here: “The expectations were out of control on the outside, but I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge it. This is one chapter, and we have a long season to play."
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