Texas Longhorns

Arch Manning Fails In Ohio Stadium As Ohio State Beats Texas 14-7

Kevin Sweeney

Arch Manning did not look like a Heisman Trophy contender in his 2025 season debut in Ohio Stadium. Manning, scion of a famous family and much-hyped, was picked off and failed to convert four fourth downs en route to a 14-7 defeat at the hands of the Buckeyes.

Manning’s struggles came in legendary Lee Corso’s final game. Corso, 90, picked Ohio State, wisely with the final headgear pick of his storied career. The Ohio State defense was maligned before the game today, but it kept Manning and the vaunted Texas offense in check. Do you think Ohio State will be the new No. 1 team in the nation?

That Is It For Lee Corso

ESPN legend Lee Corso, 90, walked off the stage for College GameDay for the final time today. Corso has been a mainstay on the show for 38 years. Before that, Corso was a head coach in college football, most notably at Indiana University. Corso popularized ‘headgear‘ picks, where he would end the show by donning the mascot headpiece of the team he was picking in the game. He wisely put on a Brutus Buckeye headpiece today. Wearing a tuxedo, he will be missed.

Clutch Buckeye Defense Stifles Arch Manning

Manning threw one interception today and was stopped by the Ohio State defense four times on fourth down. Overall, he was 17-of-30 today with one touchdown and one interception. He led an anemic Texas offensive attack. He was sacked once. He ran 10 times for 38 yards today. Manning was the Heisman Trophy front-runner, but he probably lost that distinction today, just like Texas lost the No. 1 ranking in the country.

Buckeye Defense Stuffs Arch Manning and Texas

The Ohio State defense was much maligned before this game, but it came up big on five occasions in this game. First, Arvell Reese (a budding star for the Buckeyes) stuffed Manning and Texas in the first quarter (with 10:32 left). Second, in the third quarter (with 6:40 remaining), the Buckeyes prevented the Longhorns from scoring a game-tying touchdown on their opening drive of the second half by stuffing Manning short of the end zone on a run from the 1-yard line.

Third, another budding star on Ohio State’s defense, Jermaine Mathews Jr., picked off a deep shot by Manning for the game’s first takeaway, preserving a 7-0 lead for the Buckeyes. The pick came at 3:01 of the third quarter. Fourth, with 7:46 remaining in the third quarter, the Buckeye defense came up with its third fourth-down stop of the game when Davison Igbinosun broke up a Manning pass intended for Parker Livingstone in the end zone on 4th-and-3 from the 9-yard line.

Fifth, and finally, with only 1:27 remaining in the game, Ohio State’s defense made its fourth fourth-down stop to seal victory as C.J. Hicks pressured Manning to force a pass short of the sticks to Jack Endries on 4th-and-5. This allowed Caleb Downs to make a game-clinching tackle two yards short of the line of gain.

Interesting News and Notes from the Buckeye 14-7 Victory Over Arch Manning and Texas

  • Ohio State unveiled its 2024 national championship banner before the game.
  • 33 representatives from 22 NFL teams attended the game at Ohio Stadium.
  • Freshman TE Nate Roberts and CB Devin Sanchez made their Ohio State debuts.
  • The game was Ohio State’s first time playing a No. 1-ranked opponent in a season opener – and therefore, its first win over a top-ranked opponent in a season opener.
  • 107,524 people attended the game.

Scoring Summary

The scoring summary of this game is fairly simple. First, Ohio State took a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by CJ Donaldson. That was the first touchdown this season for the West Virginia transfer. Second, Ohio State took a 14-0 lead when new Quarterback Julian Sayin hit Carnell Tate on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Texas broke the shutout when Manning hit Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown. Ohio State won the game 14-7.

Conclusion

Ohio State was a slight favorite as it beat Texas for the second time in a row. That said, almost all the media coverage leading up to the game focused on Manning and the University of Texas. The Buckeyes may have felt somewhat slighted. It was a great start for the new Defensive Coordinator, Matt Patricia. Ohio State will look to continue its winning ways next Saturday against Grambling State. They might win by 50.

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