A late touchdown pass from Arch Manning to Parker Livingstone kept the Longhorns in the game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a pedestrian offensive showing.
AUSTIN, Texas — Despite being the No. 1 ranked team entering the season, the Texas Longhorns will start their 2025 campaign with a loss.
Longhorns fell to Ohio State 14-7 in their season opener on Saturday, finding difficulty kicking into gear offensively throughout and becoming the first preseason No. 1 team since Florida State in 1988 to be held scoreless in the first half of their season opener.
The game was hailed as the start of the Arch Manning era for Texas, with the redshirt sophomore signal caller starting his first season opener, first road game and first game against a ranked opponent.
While the preseason Heisman favorite shined at some points, it was ultimately a lackluster season debut for Manning, as he finished 17-of-30 passing for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Quintrevion Wisner led the Longhorns with 80 yards on the ground, while Jack Endries led the Longhorns with 50 receiving yards on four catches.
Texas was held off the scoreboard until there was 3:28 remaining in the game, when a late touchdown pass from Manning to redshirt freshman receiver Parker Livingstone finally put the Longhorns on the board.
Defensively, the Longhorns kept the Buckeyes in check throughout the majority of the game, holding sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin to just 126 passing yards. CJ Donaldson led the Buckeyes with 67 yards rushing, and Carnell Tate led the Buckeyes with 49 receiving yards on two catches.
Notably, the Longhorns were able to contain star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith throughout much of the game, as the standout sophomore finished with just 43 yards on six catches.
The Longhorns even outgained the Buckeyes by more than 100 yards offensively, finishing with 336 total yards of offense compared to just 203 yards for Ohio State. Ultimately, it was the lack of production on third and fourth down and six costly penalties that doomed the Longhorns.
The Longhorns will next take the against San Jose State at DKR on Sept. 6. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m.