Why Texas Longhorns Fans Shouldn’t Panic About Arch Manning

Despite the Longhorns maintaining control for the majority of the first quarter, the historic matchup proved to be a predominantly defensive one, and both teams left the first quarter scoreless.

While the Buckeyes found their groove and secured a touchdown in the second quarter, for the Longhorns, making their way downfield seemed to be long-haul fight. Despite driving inside Ohio State’s 10-yard line twice in the second half — Texas was met with fourth-down stops both times.

Throughout the first half, Manning appeared lost and uncomfortable inside the pocket. However, as he returned for the third quarter, Manning presented a more sturdiness, in which the Longhorns were able to maintain control of the ball for most of the third.

In efforts to gain some ground, the quarterback’s first downfield throw immediately backfired, and resulted in an interception by Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr. The Longhorns’ blunder led to the Buckeyes capitalizing and securing a second touchdown.

With Ohio State up 14-0, this was the first time that Texas has been shutout through the first three quarters since 2015 vs. Iowa State. Nearly letting off another pick, the sheer defensive pressure resulted in offensive errors, and continued to stunt the quarterback from finding a true passing rhythm.

Battling through the fourth, Manning finally breaks out of his shell and successfully delivers a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Livingstone. While the Longhorns gained momentum, forcing the Buckeyes to punt, it was a little too late, as Texas fell short with two minutes remaining.

In terms of where Manning struggled throughout the game — the leading factor was not the lack of talent or skill, but a poor sense of timing and questionable decision-making, likely caused by heavy defensive pressure from Ohio State.

Manning faced arguably the top defense in college football in his debut season opener as starting quarterback, making it a bit premature for audiences to begin doubting his abilities coming off a rough start in his first road game as starter.

Despite the errors in game 1, it’ll take time for the quarterback to work out all of the kinks. As Manning gains more exposure against strong defenses this season, with Georgia (Nov. 15) and Texas A&M (Nov. 30), it may take time for him to settle into his responsibilities.

While Texas’ 11-game winning streak, in true road games, was snapped following Saturday’s loss in Columbus, the Longhorns’ odds at the national championship are far from over. If the college football season pans out the way some analysts anticipate — Texas and Ohio State could meet again in the College Football Playoff, which would give Manning a chance to redeem himself.

However, before we get too ahead of ourselves, Manning’s performance still proves there is work to be done. So, let’s see how he shapes up heading into the remainder of the season.