Arch Manning never found a rhythm against Ohio State’s premier defense.
In first career start, Julian Sayin outperforms Arch Manning.
Ohio State and Texas show off their defenses, but some offensive wounds were self-inflicted.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Consider this the Quinn Ewers and Will Howard appreciation game.

Or, call it the Arvell Reese destroys Texas game. Ohio State’s linebacker left a path of devastation, and the Buckeyes’ defense wrecked the nation’s No. 1-ranked team. Check Arch Manning for tire tracks.

If not for the seven letters stitched across the back of the Texas quarterback’s uniform, you wouldn’t have known he’s a Manning.

And if the nation’s No. 1 team was in attendance here at the Horseshoe, you could’ve fooled me. You could convince me, though, that Ohio State retains a premier defense. The No. 2 Buckeyes prevailed, 14-7, in a game where slugfest might be too kind of term.

At times, this looked like an ugh-fest, but Ohio State won’t mind a win that’ll look good on the résumé.

Manning looked like a struggling first-year starter, which he is. Never mind all the preseason hype or his stats from romps last season against hapless Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe.

This was Ohio State, sweetheart, the defending national champions, and Lee Corso proved smart putting on the Brutus Buckeye head for his final pick on “College GameDay.”

Texas’ ballyhooed quarterback, the latest from a line of the first family of college football, repeatedly misfired in his first start against a ranked opponent.

Who’s the backup quarterback at Texas? Anyone know?

No, I’m not being serious, but this should put to bed the silly idea that Texas played the wrong quarterback last season. The Longhorns could’ve used Ewers in this one.

Ohio State, too, missed the exploits Howard supplied throughout the Buckeyes’ romp throughout the College Football Playoff. Credit Julian Sayin with this much, though: In his first career start, Ohio State’s redshirt freshman quarterback outplayed a Manning and executed the game plan. There’s no shame in that.

Sayin landed a haymaker, too, when he connected with Carnell Tate on a 40-year, fourth-quarter touchdown. That gave him one more deep strike than Manning completed, until his stat-boosting completions and a touchdown in the closing minutes that showed not all hope is lost on this Texas season.

Arch Manning never finds rhythm in Texas’ loss to Ohio State

Manning bounced his first throw 3 yards short of his intended target. By halftime, he’d completed five passes for a grand total of 26. He finished 17 of 30 for 170 yards.

In one of Manning’s few attempts to stretch the field, he floated a feeble pass that Jermaine Matthews easily intercepted.

Manning never found a rhythm until late in the fourth quarter, where he had 98 yards passing in the final five minutes after the Longhorns were down 14 points. One play following one of his best completions, he nearly threw a second interception when he forced a pass into tight coverage. He made a handful of nice runs, but Ohio State kept him out of the end zone on a fourth-down quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line.

So much for Steve Sarkisian’s supposed play-calling brilliance. The Texas coach didn’t do enough to help his quarterback.

Arch Manning not only star who struggled

The Ohio State students tossing beer die before kickoff on front lawns while tailgating on beautiful day here showcased midseason form. These two offenses showed Week 1 form.

Give the defenses ample credit. Both are good units, and it will take more defensive efforts like this one from Texas to keep the Longhorns in the playoff hunt. But, some of the offensive woes were self-inflicted.

Manning had company in the Heisman-hopefuls-who-underwhelmed department. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith dropped two passes in a span of three plays, prompting him to change his gloves.

Now, that’s some sophomore seasoning. Know when it’s the gloves’ fault!

Ohio State’s best attributes in the lone first-half touchdown drive became Texas penalties and grueling runs between the tackles by CJ Donaldson Jr.

Grueling, grimy and gritty worked for Ohio State, thanks in part to a defense that supplied four critical fourth-down stops. That included a stop with 87 seconds remaining that clinched the victory.

After Corso made his final pick, the 90-year-old retiring pregame show legend navigated up to the press box. He enjoyed a couple of hot dogs using a knife and fork, still fully clad in his tuxedo. He looked on as one quarterback struggled to play up to his surname, another quarterback showed some promise, and Ohio State’s defense ensured Corso’s final pick hit the mark.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Before Arch Manning took a singular snap at Texas, the Longhorns’ quarterback was given of laundry list of lofty exceptions put on him, which ranged from national championship titles to being a Heisman Trophy winner.

Those expectations reached a new height this offseason ahead of the Longhorns’ Week 1 showdown vs. No. 2 Ohio State when him moved into the full-time quarterback role at Texas. Following Texas’ 14-7 loss at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said those exceptions on Manning were ‘out of control.’

‘For Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside, but I’d say, let’s finish the book before we judge him. This is one chapter, and we’ve got a long season to go play,’ Sarkisian said following Texas’ loss to Ohio State on Aug. 30.

Manning, the nephew of NFL Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, struggled for much of the Aug. 30 Week 1 game at Ohio Stadium against a newly led Matt Patricia Buckeyes defense. It wasn’t until the late in the second half that he found consistent rhythm.

All told, his stat line was a tad underwhelming on the afternoon, as he only led Texas to just one scoring drive on the afternoon, which ended with a 32-yard touchdown throw to Parker Livingston in the fourth quarter.

Manning had an opportunity to lead Texas to a game-tying scoring drive in the winding minutes of the fourth quarter after the Longhorns’ defense forced a stop following Livington’s touchdown, but he was unable to make a play on fourth-and-5 to extend the drive with a first down.

Texas and Manning are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 6 against San Jose State at noon ET at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

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Texas’ reign as college football’s No. 1-ranked team didn’t last long, as the Longhorns became the first preseason No. 1 team to lose in Week 1 since 1990 on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Texas’ offense struggled mightily on the road against No. 2 Ohio State, as the Longhorns were held to seven points and didn’t score until the final minutes of the fourth quarter in a 14-7 loss. Quarterback Arch Manning didn’t live up to the hype in his second career start, as he completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception, albeit against what appears to be an elite defense.

Ohio State, the reigning national champions, appear to be elite as a team once again in 2025, despite losing numerous sources of production from a season ago. Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin played mistake-free football in his first career start, leading an Ohio State offense that wasn’t needed much in Week 1.

Texas is certain to fall in the rankings after Week 1, while Ohio State is poised to regain the No. 1 spot in the polls.

Here’s a look at where Texas could fall in the US LBM Coaches Poll ahead of Week 2.

Texas football rankings: Where will Longhorns fall in top 25?

With two other top-10 games still to be played in Week 1, it’s unclear as to how far Texas will fall in the Week 2 rankings, especially considering how far the winners of Notre Dame-Miami and Clemson-LSU will move up.

It’s fair to predict Texas to remain in the top 10, however, as the Longhorns lost a close game on the road to the No. 2-ranked team nationally, and reigning national champions in Ohio State. Texas’ offensive performance might leave something to be desired for voters, though.

Texas will likely fall behind Penn State and Georgia at the least, as the Nittany Lions (No. 3) and Bulldogs (No. 4) should have little-to-no issues with Nevada and Marshall, respectively. Texas could also fall behind No. 7 Oregon, who plays Montana State, and No. 8 Alabama, who travels to face Florida State.

Texas’ loss likely doesn’t to make a dent in its College Football Playoff hopes, due to the strong opponent it played and the expanded 12-team field. The Longhorns should find themselves at the backend of the top 10 in the Week 2 polls.

The 2025 US Open has moved through one week of play at Flushing Meadows, with the drama only heating up as both singles tournaments have rolled on.

The biggest stories have come from the women’s singles tournament. Two of the biggest names advanced Saturday, as No. 3 Coco Gauff — despite ongoing questions about her serve — advanced in two sets over No. 28 Magdalena Frech. That helped set up up a fourth-round clash with resurgent No. 23 Naomi Osaka (who claimed a three-set win over No. 15 Daria Kasatkina). Meanwhile, Taylor Townsend, days after an exchange with Jelena Ostapenko, upset No. 5 Mirra Andreeva to earn a fourth-round appointment against Barbora Krejcikova.

In the men’s singles bracket, defending champion Jannik Sinner moved past No. 27 Denis Shapovalov in four sets, while two other third-round matches ended with a player retiring. No. 15 Andrey Rublev was pushed to five sets before defeating Coleman Wong Chak-lam, while the No. 435-ranked Leandro Riedi became the lowest-ranked player to reach the fourth round in 40 years.

Here is the latest bracket, including results from Saturday and a schedule of Sunday’s matches in men’s and women’s singles at the US Open:

2025 US Open schedule, scores

All times Eastern.

Saturday, August 30

Men’s Singles Round 3:

No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti defeats No. 24 Flavio Cobolli, 6-3, 6-2, 2-0 (Cobolli retires)
No. 15 Andrey Rublev defeats Coleman Wong Chak-lam, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeats No. 27 Denis Shapovalov, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Jaume Munar defeats Zizou Bergs, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Leandro Riedi defeats Kamil Majchrzak, 5-3 (Majchrzak retires)
No. 8 Alex de Minaur defeats Daniel Altmaier, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-4, 2-0 (Altmaier retires)
No. 3 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime, 7 p.m.
No. 23 Alexander Bublik vs. No. 14 Tommy Paul, 8:30 p.m.

Women’s Singles Round 3:

No. 11 Karolina Muchova defeats No. 21 Linda Noskova, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Coco Gauff defeats No. 28 Magdalena Frech, 6-3, 6-1
No. 27 Marta Kostyuk defeats Diane Parry, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 23 Naomi Osaka defeats No. 15 Daria Kasatkina, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
No. 13 Ekaterina Alexandrova defeats Laura Siegemund, 6-0, 6-1
No. 8 Amanda Anisimova defeats Jaqueline Cristian, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 29 Anna Kalinskaya vs. No. 2 Iga Swiatek, 7 p.m.
No. 18 Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Maria Sakkari, 9 p.m.

Sunday, August 31

Men’s Singles Round 4:

Adrian Mannarino vs. No. 20 Jiri Lehecka, 11 a.m.
Arthur Rinderknech vs. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, 1:30 p.m.
No. 21 Tomas Machac vs. No. 4 Taylor Fritz, 3 p.m.
No. 7 Novak Djokovic vs. Jan-Lennard Struff, 7 p.m.

Women’s Singles Round 4:

No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. Ann Li, 11:30 a.m.
Barbora Krejcikova vs. Taylor Townsend, 1 p.m.
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Cristina Bucsa, 4:40 p.m.
No. 9 Elena Rybakina vs. Marketa Vondrousova, 8:40 p.m.

How to watch 2025 US Open: Dates, TV, streaming

Dates: Sunday, Aug. 24-Sunday, Sept. 7
Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (New York)
TV channels: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish language)
Streaming: ESPN+ and Fubo (free trial)

Watch the 2025 US Open on Fubo (free trial)

Jelena Ostapenko apologized on Saturday, taking to social media after her US Open incident with Taylor Townsend, following her second-round loss in which she said Townsend, who is black, had “no education.”

Ostapenko, who was the No. 25 seed, again went to social media to issue an apology for saying things after her 7-5, 6-1 loss, in which she confronted Townsend at the net and continued to argue with her following the match. Townsend told ESPN during an interview that Ostapenko also said she had “no class.”

In the statement, Ostapenko did not reference Townsend, who will play her fourth-round singles match on Sunday.

“Hi all – I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match,’ Ostapenka wrote on Instagram. ‘English is not my native language, so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court. I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.”

In her first statement after the loss, Ostapenko said her opponent ‘was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry at all.’

“There are some rules in tennis that most of the players follow, and it was the first time that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants,’ Ostapenko wrote.

It led two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka to discuss the comments and defend Townsend, the world’s No. 1-ranked doubles player.

“It’s one of the worst things you can say to a Black tennis player in a majority White sport,’ Osaka said. ‘I know Taylor and I know how hard she’s worked and I know how smart she is, so she’s the furthest thing from uneducated or anything like that. I think it’s ill-timing and the worst person you could have ever said it to. And I don’t know if she knows the history of it in America.”

Since winning the national championship in January, Ohio State has rejected the notion that it was defending its title in 2025.

This is a mostly new team, the Buckeyes said often, referring to the 14 starters taken in the NFL draft. They wanted to earn a national championship for themselves.

Their 14-7 victory in front of 107,524 at Ohio Stadium against No. 1 Texas was a strong opening statement, thanks to a strong performance by No. 2 Ohio State’s revamped defense.

That defense, which featured eight new starters, allowed the Longhorns and their Heisman Trophy favorite quarterback, Arch Manning, only one score.

It was a triumphant debut for new Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who spent the past two decades coaching in the NFL. He was under much pressure after the success of his predecessor, Jim Knowles, who left for Penn State.

The Buckeyes sputtered much of the game on offense, but they got enough. West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson capped an 80-yard touchdown drive in the first half with a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down.

Julian Sayin connected with Carnell Tate on a 40-yard score early in the fourth quarter for Ohio State’s other score.

Ohio State’s shutout bid ended with 3:28 left when Parker Livingstone caught a 32-yard touchdown from Manning.

But Texas was stopped at midfield on its last drive.

Defense bends but doesn’t break

Ohio State was expected to have growing pains on defense after losing so many starters, including all four on the defensive line.

Instead, it limited the Longhorns to 79 yards in the first half and then bent but didn’t break in the second half until late in the fourth quarter.

Texas drove 70 yards on its first possession of the third quarter.

On fourth-and-goal from inside the Ohio State 1, Arch Manning tried to use his 6-foot-4, 219-frame to plunge into the end zone. Instead, Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald were among a group of Buckeyes to stuff Manning.

On Texas’ next possession, cornerback Jermaine Mathews stepped in front of receiver Ryan Wingo on a deep ball for an interception.

Texas again drove deep into Buckeyes territory on its first fourth-quarter possession. But on fourth-and-goal from the 9, Manning’s pass fell incomplete to Livingstone with Davison Igbinosun in tight coverage.

Livingstone beat Mathews for Texas’ only touchdown with 3:28 left to make the final minutes interesting.

Texas got the ball one more time, but C.J. Hicks pressured Manning on a hurried throw, and All-American safety Caleb Downs tackled tight end Jack Endries two yards short of the first down.

Neither Sayin nor Manning lit it up

Sayin was solid if unspectacular in his starting debut. The former five-star recruit, who left Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement last year, completed 13 of 20 passes for a modest 126 yards. More important, he didn’t make any costly mistakes.

Early in the game, he didn’t get much help from his receivers. Stunningly, that included two drops by star sophomore Jeremiah Smith. Sayin did miss a chance to connect with Smith deep on Ohio State’s first drive, which caused coach Ryan Day to chastise him on the sideline.

Ohio State’s game plan was to minimize risky throws. The one deep pass Sayin did throw was slightly underthrown, but Tate made a catch while closely covered in the end zone to give the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead.

Manning had a much more up-and-down game. After a dismal first half, he tried to rally with some clutch throws, but it wasn’t enough. He finished 17 of 30 for 170 yards.

Manning also ran for 38 yards in 10 carries.

First half was a slog

The teams combined for only 182 yards, 103 by Ohio State. Eighty of the Buckeyes’ yardage came on the only score of the half, a 13-play 80-yard drive that consumed more than 8 minutes.

Buy Ohio State posters, books, gear from CFP title win

Two Texas penalties, including a facemask infraction, aided the OSU cause.

Only one play, a 16-yard pass from Sayin to Smith, went for longer than 7 yards. The Buckeyes plodded down the field and finally scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Donaldson on fourth-and-goal midway through the second quarter.

Ohio State’s defense didn’t allow Texas to get beyond the its 42-yard line. That came on the Longhorns’ opening possession and ended when linebacker Arvell Reese stuffed Texas running back CJ Baxter on fourth-and-2.

Arch Manning made his debut as Texas’ full-time starter in a much-anticipated matchup against Ohio State. It did not go as well as Longhorns fans would have hoped.

How did Manning fare during the game, and could it impact how NFL decision-makers view him as a 2026 NFL Draft prospect? Here’s what to know about Manning’s first game of the 2025 college football season.

Grading Arch Manning’s performance against Ohio State

Manning entered Saturday’s game against Ohio State having made just two starts over his first two seasons at Texas. He looked the part of an inexperienced starter as Steve Sarkisian’s offense failed to consistently move the ball against Matt Patricia’s defense.

For most of the game, Manning didn’t look comfortable making downfield throws against Ohio State’s defense and was forced to throw a lot of checkdowns. Part of that was because the Buckeyes’ defensive backs were sticky in coverage throughout the day and didn’t offer much space to Texas’ weapons throughout the contest.

That said, when Manning had open receivers, he generally struggled to hit them in stride. His accuracy and ball placement were both spotty on passes thrown in the deep and intermediate parts of the field. That played a part in the interception he threw, which saw Jermaine Mathews Jr. undercut an underthrow pass from Manning to Ryan Wingo.

The good news for Texas fans? Manning showed some life as a downfield passer in the fourth quarter. He began the Longhorns’ lone touchdown drive by hitting Wingo with a 28-yard laser over the middle of the field on what may have been his best throw of the day.

Then came another well-delivered pass from Manning: a 32-yard strike to Parker Livingstone. The receiver managed to corral the throw for a controversial touchdown, as it appeared the ball may have hit the ground while Livingstone was going to the ground.

Though Manning looked good on that drive, his ensuing drive and comeback effort showed some of the struggles prevalent in the early stages of the game. He threw a dump-off pass behind a wide-open Wingo, who couldn’t reel it in, and then was nearly sacked on his final offensive play of the game before being forced to throw the ball short of the sticks.

So, while there may have been a silver lining in Manning’s debut, it was still a disappointing and below-average showing for the first-year starter.

Grade: D+

Arch Manning draft stock

It’s too early to say whether Manning’s draft stock will be significantly impacted by his 2025 debut against Ohio State.

While Manning had a less-than-stellar showing, NFL executives and decision-makers may be willing to write off some of his struggles. After all, Texas was playing on the road in a tough environment against the reigning national champion Ohio State; it was also Manning’s first start as the Longhorns’ full-time starter, and he showed growth through the critical stages of the game in the fourth quarter.

That said, Manning’s performance outlined one of the major concerns he has ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have much experience playing at the college level. Sure, he got two starts in relief of Quinn Ewers during the 2024 college season, but he entered the 2025 campaign having attempted just 95 passes during his first two seasons at the school.

So, while one game won’t necessarily make talent evaluators shy away from Manning as a prospect, they will want to see him improve significantly as the season goes. If he can’t level his play, NFL teams might begin to view the redshirt sophomore as more of a 2027 prospect than one who will come off the board early in 2026.

That’s enough to earn Manning a slight stock down, though he has plenty of time to reverse that trend during the 2025 season.

Arch Manning stats vs. Ohio State

Below is a look at Manning’s full stats from his 2025 starting debut:

Completions/attempts: 17/30
Passing yards: 170
Passing TDs: 1
INTs: 1
Carries: 10
Rushing yards: 38
Rushing TDs: 0

With the return of college football, Pat McAfee’s kicking contest on ‘ESPN College Gameday’ is back, offering serious cash prizes to the participants.

McAfee offers a substantial cash prize to fans across the country in exchange for one simple challenge: making a 33-yard field goal. During Lee Corso’s final show, Logan Pallo, a sophomore at Ohio State University, was the lucky fan selected to attempt this challenge. Pallo mentioned on the broadcast that he is experienced with kicking, as he often practices with his brother, who is also a kicker.

Pallo rose to the challenge, and when McAfee sweetened the pot to $250,000, he nailed the kick on his first try. But as he basked in his victory, a surprise awaited him. He inadvertently stepped in a pile of poop left by Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Peter, who had chosen to relieve himself right before his kick.

Despite the mishap, the crowd was in stitches, and Pallo’s jubilation was undiminished. McAfee, ever the showman, quipped that he had enough cash to buy a new pair of shoes.

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