Arch Manning’s nightmare outing leaves Texas reeling after Ohio State loss: ‘I’ve got to play better for us to win’

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With two Texas state troopers on his hip and tears welling in his eyes, Arch Manning took one last glance toward the Ohio State fans hanging above the tunnel as he exited Ohio Stadium here Saturday.

It’s a sight that may stick with him forever, a sort-of nightmarish portrait — a blanket of Scarlett-clad kids having rotated upside down their balled fists, extended index fingers and outstretched pinkies.

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Horns down.

In one of the most anticipated moments for any quarterback in the annals of college football history, Arch, the kid with the famous last name, the former five-star talent, the latest product from the first family of football quarterbacks, experienced a veritable nightmare.

No matter what happens next — remember, Texas is still very much alive to win everything — this is how Arch Manning’s debut as the Longhorns starting quarterback will forever be enshrined in the history books: Ohio State 14, Texas 7.

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The christening of the next great Manning, the first chapter in what so many predict to be a legendary career, did not go as planned. Unless, of course, you were Matt Patricia, the Buckeyes’ crafty first-year defensive coordinator and former NFL head coach who schemed well enough to make the Longhorns look silly at times.

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For instance, Manning didn’t complete a pass longer than 10 yards in the air until the fourth quarter. He missed his receivers wide, threw short and long of them, tossed a costly interception and overall seemed rattled.

Despite only throwing nine college touchdowns entering the game, Manning was the preseason betting favorite for the Heisman. By the third quarter, he was fourth betting favorite.

Perhaps it was all those lofty expectations. Maybe it was the more than 107,000 here roaring with every Manning misstep. Or a defensive secondary that, at least in the first half, clearly confused the third-year sophomore QB.

The truth: It was everything, all of it toppling onto his shoulders, weighing him down and forcing him into costly miscues.

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But don’t write him off yet, his coach said afterward. After all, this is a small sample size, maybe even a one-game aberration on the road at the defending national champs. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says he’ll board the plane to Austin with positive feelings for the way his team — and Arch — fought in the second half, the way he grew. He sees encouragement.

“The growth throughout the game for Arch was really encouraging. We are going to be fine,” Sarkisian said. “For Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside. I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him. That’s one chapter.”

An unforgettable one for the Buckeyes, no doubt.

Patricia, the former Detroit Lions head coach, debuted in sizzling fashion. Texas had 79 yards at halftime and was shut out for the first three quarters of a game for the first time in a decade.

It was a Manning mess in the first half. He fired his very first pass short of an open receiver. Despite having decent offensive line blocking, he rarely attempted anything more than 5 yards downfield, missed an open touchdown and failed to get into the end zone on a fourth-and-goal sneak from the 1.

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“Ultimately, not good enough,” Manning said afterward. “Obviously, you don’t want to start off the season going 0-1. They’re a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot. That starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”

Off the field, Manning graced our TV sets, too. Did you see him in the Raising Cane’s commercial? How about the one for the eyeglass company Warby Parker? He wore Vuori shorts in another ad too.

On the field, it was less spectacular. But that goes for many of those in burnt orange on offense, all of them fighting to move an inch against Patricia’s nasty defense. Manning was confused enough that during a halftime conversation with his QB, Sarkisian says he “shifted his focus” on recognizing coverages.

“He was struggling to see some things early,” the coach said. “They’ve got a smart secondary and a good scheme. They made Arch work.”

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But let’s be honest, this wasn’t pretty offensively on either side. No, not at all.

Ohio State punted six times and had 203 yards of offense. The Buckeyes finally broke a scoreless tie on the legs of transfer running back C.J. Donaldson, who rumbled into the end zone on a fourth down.

In many ways, it was to be expected. Both started a different quarterback from their playoff semifinal match in January. The Horns employed a rebuilt offensive line with four new starters. The Buckeyes missed their top two running backs.

There were new faces everywhere — and it showed.

But all eyes were on that Manning kid.

However, he wasn’t the only one making his debut.

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Dave Portnoy, the president of Barstool, an unabashed Michigan fan and the new addition of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” show, made his appearance felt and heard during the show’s 2025 debut outside of Ohio Stadium. He burst onto the set singing the Michigan alma mater among a sea of booing Buckeyes fans, taunted them over UM’s four-game winning streak in the rivalry and, then, in a continued personal attack on Ohio State’s head coach, suggested that Ryan Day could be fired if he loses a fifth straight to the Wolverines.

“What happens if you lose to Michigan this year? He could be out,” Portnoy screamed to the crowd. “There’s a reason I’m not allowed in The Shoe today. Because he’s soft and Michigan has broken him.”

Though the school denied it, Portnoy says he was banned from the show’s late segment that originates from within the venue — the latest stewing from the school about Fox’s decision to partner with Barstool.

While that scene unfolded, just steps away, ESPN’s “College GameDay” show graciously ushered out their analyst legend, Lee Corso, in what was the 90-year-old’s final appearance on the popular pregame show after nearly three decades. Other members of the show even donned headgear designed to emulate the coach — an emotional farewell that ended with Corso, in his final pick, choosing the Buckeyes to beat the Longhorns. How fitting: He bookended his career with a giant Brutus head — his very first headgear pick in 1996. In fact, he’s picked Ohio State a record 45 times among his 431 headgear selections.

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A few minutes later, Corso, wearing a tuxedo on his big day, made his way up to the Ohio Stadium press box to watch his final game as an ESPN employee, munching on two hot dogs slathered in mustard as a rotation of reporters wished him goodbye between bites.

Unfurling before him was a picture-perfect college football Saturday: sunny and 70 degrees with a cool wind and a stadium blanketed in Scarlet — a far cry from the off-the-field drama and dysfunction of the industry’s business side.

It was a historic day, in many ways — the kickoff of a college football season in which players, for the first time ever, are being directly compensated by their schools. There is plenty more brewing off the field. There’s a trove of new lawsuits against the NCAA threatening eligibility rules; indecision over the future format of the College Football Playoff; disagreement over congressional college sports legislation; swirling uncertainty around legal aspects of college sports’ new enforcement entity to limit booster pay; and, on the horizon, potentially more landscape-altering conference realignment and super league proposals.

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But, on this day, many could forget that madness. There was football to be had: Here, in Ohio, between two of the sport’s most historic blue-blood powers and revenue-generating giants, the richest powers in a sport that is, more than ever, fractured into classes.

It’ll forever be remembered as Arch’s debut — a nightmarish one at that.