Texas’ season opener against Ohio State was supposed to be the day Arch Manning put his stamp on the Longhorns and show why they are the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
Instead the quarterback, who hails from NFL royalty, looked completely overwhelmed and served up a catastrophic performance as the national champion Buckeyes beat Texas 14-7 in Columbus.
Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl winners Eli and Peyton and the grandson of Archie, was shut out by Ohio State’s impressive defense until the fourth quarter.
He had racked up just 38 passing yards through three quarters, having completed only nine of his 15 passes.
Manning was also denied at the goal line on a Tush Push attempt to convert the Longhorns’ best drive of the afternoon midway through the third quarter as they trailed 7-0.
That 70-yard drive included just three throws from Manning, but they were all short and didn’t surpass nine yards.
Arch Manning served up a catastrophic performance as Texas lost to Ohio State in Columbus
Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception
Manning was intercepted by Buckeyes’ Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Ohio State went on to score
Manning was quickly brought crashing back down to earth after that drive when, trying a deep pass, he was intercepted by the Buckeyes’ Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Ohio State would go on to turn that interception into a touchdown to extend their lead to 14-0.
Manning was almost picked off again early in the fourth quarter but the referees eventually determined it to be an incomplete pass. He eventually threw a touchdown, connecting with Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard score.
He completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns on a troubling day in front of numerous NFL executives and scouts.
To make matters worse for Manning his rival, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, impressed throughout.
He had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter and Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone to open the defense of their national championship with a victory.
Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score.
It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season’s national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.
