Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) drops back to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Ohio Stadium. Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Texas QB Arch Manning's Heisman odds take nasty dive after dismal first half against Ohio State

By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 2:20 PM ET

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns offense looked dismal in the first half against No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. The Buckeyes shut out the Longhorns to take a 7-0 lead at halftime.

Sophomore quarterback Arch Manning entered the matchup with a lot of hype in his first season as the full-time starter for Texas. However, Manning looked out of sorts in the first half, going 5-of-10 passing for 26 yards. He added 13 yards on five carries.

Those numbers were underwhelming for Manning. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Manning entered Saturday's contest with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy this season with +700 odds.

By halftime, Manning was behind Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (+750) and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (+750) for the best odds to win the most prestigious award in college football at +1000.

Nussmeier and Klubnik will see their odds change on Saturday night, when No. 4 Clemson hosts No. 9 LSU in a primetime matchup on ABC.

Arch Manning was the favorite to win the Heisman this morning at +700...

Now, he's at +1000 behind Garrett Nussmeier & Cade Klubnik pic.twitter.com/Jb0bWhCEqH
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) August 30, 2025

It wasn't just the poor stats that hurt Manning. The 21-year-old had a couple of bad misses with sloppy accuracy.

Manning was known for his athletic ability in the run game last year, as Texas employed the quarterback to enter games as a substitute for Quinn Ewers to run the ball in certain situations, especially in the red zone.

However, Manning didn't use his legs much in the first half against Ohio State, opting to stay in a collapsing pocket, which didn't help with his accuracy.

Amid issues with Texas offensive line and wide receiver, Manning was expected to have a bumpy first half. But he's going to need a much better second-half showing against Ohio State to impress Heisman voters, who want to see what elite players do in the biggest games.

Jordan Sigler

Jordan Sigler is a sports writer with a decade of experience as a journalist, including his time as a breaking news/day cops reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. His sports coverage across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, and college football world has also been featured at ChiCitySports, Gridiron Heroics, Pro Football Network, and Athlon Sports. Based in Austin, Texas, Jordan graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Tech University in 2014

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