The Texas Longhorns made easy work of the Texas State Bobcats in a 59-7 win on Sept. 5 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. It was an impressive performance for Arch Manning, who hit the ground running.
Manning went 20-for-27 on his pass attempts, leading to 305 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. This matchup against Texas State was a good warm-up for the team ahead of the true test on Sept. 12 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State is coming into Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium as the No. 1-ranked team in the country, so it’s one of the biggest tests of the season for the Longhorns.
On Sept. 7, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum issued a blunt message to Manning ahead of the game against the Buckeyes.
“I hate to come down on Arch, but he has to have a monster game because that game last year still shadows him a little bit,” Finebaum said on “Get Up.” Steve Sarkisian told me a couple of months ago that game probably helped Arch Manning more than any other game.
“You understand what that’s like, having a bad game. If he doesn’t shine, I think it’s going to affect him. But most importantly, Texas has to win that game because that’s going to be on Sarkisian.”
Other Areas of Texas Longhorns Offense Must Step Up
Meanwhile, in that same segment, Heather Dinich of ESPN didn’t put all the weight on Manning if the Longhorns want to come out with a win. She believes other aspects of Texas’ team need improvement.
‘I thought Arch was really good, but the offensive line and the running game have to be better for them to beat Ohio State,” Dinich said.
Furthermore, Dinich notes that Manning didn’t perform badly last season in the loss to Ohio State.
“I also think people forget we’re talking about Arch like he had a disaster,” Dinich added. “The final stretch, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the whole country. He’s continuing to grow. But what makes Texas a national title contender? He’s not even the best player on the team. Colin Simmons is. He’s going to be the first player drafted.
“Julian Sayin, not the best player on his team. Jeremiah Smith is. You have Heisman contenders everywhere. That’s why these guys are national title contenders.”
Could the Longhorns Lean on Their Passing Game?
On offense, it will be interesting to see whether the Longhorns try to follow the blueprint against Texas State and have Manning spread the ball around, while the Ohio State defense stays on its toes.
Four players had three or more receptions for Texas in the win over the Bobcats, with Ryan Wingo being the go-to target in this game for Manning. Wingo had seven receptions for 121 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Nonetheless, Manning also targeted Cam Coleman for three receptions, 70 passing yards, and two touchdowns. The Longhorns will have the home crowd behind them, and the passing game may be what the team leans on, since the running game didn’t have an outstanding showing last weekend against Texas State.
Texas QB Arch Manning Gets ‘Monster’ Message Before Ohio State Game