Arch Manning's Heisman campaign won't recover from ugly Ohio State performance 

It wasn't a good look. Not that the blocking was outstanding. However, things looked even worse when the next drive ended with a Manning interception in Ohio State territory.

At that point, Manning had completed 9-of-15 passes for 39 yards with one interception. He did have 38 rushing yards, including a 15-yard scramble for a first down in the third quarter, but outside of that, he struggled to make an impact, completing 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards. 

Manning finally threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but that won't make Heisman voters unsee what they saw for most of the game. 

Ohio State has a great defense. The Buckeyes are especially elite at goal-line stands, adding another feather to that cap in the third quarter against Texas, the same team OSU defeated, thanks to a goal-line stand, in the Cotton Bowl.  

That said, Manning's pedestrian play was alarming. It's also enough to effectively end his Heisman campaign, at least for the 2025 season.

You don't recover from a performance that ugly. That doesn't mean Texas can't have a strong season, or that Manning won't. 

But one game can ruin a Heisman campaign, which is exactly what happened to Manning against the Buckeyes on Saturday.