Preview: No. 1 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes

The long offseason is finally over for Texas fans and players. The 2024 season should be labeled a success but there was certainly a bitter end to the season. Longhorn nation left the Cotton Bowl in January feeling as if an opportunity may have slipped through their hands. Texas was right there in the thick of it in the 4^th quarter, with a chance from the one-yard line to tie the game against Ohio State. The red zone issues that plagued the Longhorns showed up at the worst time.

The good news is Steve Sarkisian’s team opens the season with the same team that ended their previous season, getting a shot at revenge.

Make no mistake about it, this will be a very challenging game for both teams to begin their 2025 campaign. Much like in the Cotton Bowl, both teams are loaded with NFL talent, and a few plays will determine who wins.

Texas Must Contain Jeremiah Smith

In the semifinal loss to Ohio State, Texas contained WR Jeremiah Smith better than any other team last season. Smith had just one catch for three yards. Even as a freshman last year, he was considered one of the best players, regardless of position, in the country. Last year Texas had All-American defensive back Jahdae Barron, who was able to shadow Smith with safety help. That will not be the case on Saturday, as Barron was a first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft.

Texas may not have Barron, but they will have a talented secondary once again. Led by junior cornerback Malik Muhammad who struggled at times in the playoffs last year, but prior to that was considered by some the best cover corner on the Texas roster. Beyond Muhammad, Texas returns All-American defensive back Michael Taaffe. Those two will play a large part in containing Smith. Ohio State has other talent around Smith, but they don’t have first-round wide receiver Emeka Egbuka like they did last year. That means Ohio State will force feed Smith a lot more even if that means jet sweeps, screens etc. Ohio State won’t allow Texas to take him out of the game like last year. Not letting Smith dominate is possibly the largest x-factor in determining if Texas can win on Saturday.

Who Has the Better Running Game is Pivotal

Much like in their 2024 matchup, both teams will bring elite defenses to the table. That makes being able to run the ball and keep the opposing defense balanced extremely important. In the Cotton Bowl it felt like Texas was having to work harder to move the ball compared to Ohio State. A large reason for that was Ohio State had better success running the ball.

The Buckeyes averaged over 5 yards a carry with their star running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. In fact, had Ohio State lost, the fans and media would’ve been very critical of Henderson and Judkins only getting 15 carries combined. Texas on the other hand struggled to get anything going in the run game. Given that starter CJ Baxter was lost for the season in training camp, the effort was led by Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner. Against Ohio State both Wisner and Blue struggled on the ground, averaging less than three yards a carry in their 21 attempts. They both provided an impact on the game, but it was through the air. Blue had 5 catches for 59 yards and two TD, while Wisner had 6 catches for 42 yards. The Texas running backs against the Ohio State linebackers was one matchup that favored Texas. Regardless, Texas will need to have a better rushing attack in order to leave Columbus with a win.

Which Young QB Will Play Better

There aren’t going to be many games where Arch Manning is the more experienced QB, having has just two starts in his career. In this contest, he is more experienced, at least by the numbers. Last season Manning started two games, against Louisiana Monroe and Mississippi State, while Quinn Ewers was out with injury. Those teams are far from what Arch will face on Saturday in Columbus, but that experience is better than none. He also had a short yardage package and appeared in a handful of other games, most notably against Georgia, Texas A&M and Ohio State. Granted he took only a handful of snaps, but it is still more than Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has under his belt.

Sayin has appeared in just four career games with twelve pass attempts. Similar to Arch, Sayin was a highly ranked recruit out of high school, but none of that will matter on Saturday. Both of these young quarterbacks can make any throw on the field. It will be a challenge for both to stay within themselves and not force throws like many young passers often do. Whoever makes the most plays without making errant turnovers will likely lead their team to victory.