Follow along as our Devon Messinger jots down notes from today’s season-opening game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
First Quarter:
The first drive for the Longhorns showed some signs of rust. First, on the opening kickoff, it was ruled that a Longhorn made a fair catch-like signal. This negated a solid return. Afterwards, the Texas offense was able to move the ball down the field but had a turnover on downs on their second fourth down attempt.
On Ohio State’s first drive, the result was the same. A pass from Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin was dropped, resulting in a turnover on downs. It’s clear that today’s game will be a dogfight as both teams possess talented, yet young, rosters.
So far today, the Texas linebackers have already picked up where they left off last year. On back-to-back plays, Liona Lefau and Colin Simmons made an impact behind the line-of-scrimmage.
The first quarter ended scoreless and the real highlight of the game so far might be Texas’ punter, Jack Bouwmeester, who has had two kicks inside the 20-yard line so far.
Second Quarter:
Ohio State was the first team to find the scoreboard, with a 1-yard touchdown rush via CJ Donaldson. Unfortunately, this Buckeyes drive was greatly aided by two Longhorn penalties, one on both Colin Simmons and Malik Muhammad.
Halftime Thoughts:
Needless to say, this has been a rough game for the Texas offense. They have to get something going in the passing game, to help set up the run. Although Arch hasn’t been under heavy pressure, he hasn’t been able to get anything going.
Third Quarter:
After a nice start to the second half, Arch Manning is stuffed on a QB sneak at the goal line. It was a promising drive in that the Texas running game started to come alive again, however Texas’ red zone struggles continue.
So far today, penalties have killed the Longhorns on both sides of the ball. Then, when an opportunity presents itself, Manning throws his first interception of the year. As to be expected, the offense was going to come into today’s game a little green. However, the Texas offense has not made things any easier for themselves.
Fourth Quarter:
The young Ohio State gunslinger, Julian Sayin, was the first quarterback to strike on Saturday. With a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes lead was extended to 14-0.
Finally, with 3:28 remaining in the game, the Longhorns found the scoreboard. Arch Manning’s 32-yard touchdown pass to Parker Livingstone brought the game to within one score.
Final Thoughts:
Saturday’s game was a tough pill to swallow for the Longhorns. Penalties and poor red zone offense ultimately killed the team’s hopes of getting a win. However, the passing game itself didn’t come alive until the final couple of minutes as well. The good news? It’s a long football season. There’s plenty of inexperience for the Longhorns, particularly on offense, and there will be time for this team to gel.
