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Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Caden Curry (92) pressures Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arch Manning Haters Are 1-0 After His First Underwhelming Performance In Loss To Ohio State

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Danny Fisher | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 12:01 PM ET

Week 1 of the college football season started with one of the most hyped opening games the sport has seen. Texas traveled to Ohio State for a rematch of last year’s Cotton Bowl, where the Buckeyes prevailed, winning 28-14. Ohio State went on to beat Notre Dame in the National Championship a week later. Texas was inches from beating Ohio State seven months ago. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was stripped and sacked, trying to tie the contest late in the fourth quarter. Ewers wouldn’t be able to get revenge on his former team since he’s now in the NFL. But young quarterback Arch Manning, who sat behind Ewers for two seasons, was waiting to step up.

Manning the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class has been preparing for this moment his entire life, or what Paul Finebaum likes to say, since he was in his crib. Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, whose brothers are Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli. When a quarterback carries the Manning name, they are expected to be stars. Ever since Manning stepped onto campus in Austin two years ago, everyone has been waiting for his opportunity. He finally got the first big chance of his young career playing against Ohio State on Saturday.

It’s never easy to go into Columbus and knock off the Buckeyes, but if there was a time to do it, it was this weekend. Ohio State only returned three defensive starters from last year’s team and also lost defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Penn State.

The Buckeyes were running out eight new defensive starters and a new defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, who hasn’t coached in college football since 2003. Patricia is a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach with the New England Patriots. However, the last seven years of his coaching career haven’t been great. There were a lot of question marks with the Buckeyes’ defense heading into the season. It was time for Manning to feast on Ohio State’s new defense. Except the exact opposite happened.

Arch Manning Didn’t Have A Great Showing

For three quarters, Manning stunk up the place. He never could get into rhythm, throwing incomplete passes that were either too high or too low. The offense couldn’t do anything against the Buckeyes, and when they moved the ball, they would turn it over on downs inside the red zone. Manning didn’t have his first completion for over 10 yards until the fourth quarter, where he completed five of them. One was suitable for a 32-yard touchdown, which was Texas’s only score of the afternoon. Manning finished with 170 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception.

If the last names were removed from the jerseys of the quarterbacks in yesterday’s games, and a person who doesn’t watch college football heard about the Mannig hype, watched the game, they would think he was wearing No. 10 for Ohio State. Buckeyes redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin made his first college start this weekend and outplayed Manning. He wasn’t perfect, but he made the throws he had to and took care of the football.

Manning took responsibility for his performance after the game, telling reporters that he needs to improve. “Ultimately, not good enough. 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.”

The good news is Manning has tons of talent, which is why he was the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season. It’s hard to make a first road start against one of the best teams in the country. If he didn’t come back and had an impressive fourth quarter, then there would be some panic.

But Manning showed off his skills even though it was too late to win the game. The Manning hype will surround the entire season, with people wanting to see him fail, as he was put on a pedestal due to his last name. The Manning haters are 1-0 on the season, but there is still a long way to go, and the kid will figure it out.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws an interception to Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (7) in the third quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. © Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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