Manning eyes 2nd shot at OSU after 'rough' debut

AUSTIN, Texas -- A year after his much-hyped debut as Texas' starting quarterback ended in a 14-7 loss to Ohio State, Arch Manning said on Monday he's not fond of reminiscing about that game. "Not a lot of good memories a year ago," said Manning, who will get a shot at redemption against the No. 1 Buckeyes on Saturday. "Hoping to have a good game this year." The then-No. 3 Buckeyes beat the then-No. 1 Longhorns in Columbus last season in a celebrated matchup, with all eyes on the debut of Manning. He struggled against a loaded Buckeyes defense, going 9 of 15 for 38 yards and an interception in the first three quarters. The Longhorns trailed 14-0, as Manning rallied, completing 8 of his next 15 for 132 yards and a touchdown. "It's a rough film to watch," Manning said on Monday. "I don't like watching it that much." It was the second straight loss for the Longhorns to the Buckeyes in high-profile games, including a 28-14 defeat in in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl in Jan. 2025. "It's not all the time you get a second chance to play another team after a rough loss," Manning said. "So we're all excited for the opportunity. I think we've all grown mentally and physically." Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said reviewing last year's game, he feels like the Longhorn were physical and prepared. He cited their running game, with 37 carries for 166 yards (4.5 yards per carry). "I think people think we just went out there and laid an egg and had minus-10 yards rushing or something," he said. "We ran the ball pretty well. I felt like the passing game was not where it needed to be the first two and a half, three quarters or so in that game. Then when you get behind, you've got to start throwing the ball." Manning said he feels the benefit of a year of experience and a full offseason to get a chance for a rematch with No. 1 Buckeyes on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. "I think this is why you come to a school like Texas playing these big- time games," Manning said. "I'm excited that it's at home against a really good team, a good defense." As of Monday afternoon on DraftKings, the No. 5-ranked Longhorns are slight favorite to beat Ohio State. If the line holds, according to ESPN Research, it will be just the 14th time since the FBS/FCS split in 1978 that the AP No. 1 team is an underdog in a regular-season game. One of those was last year, when the Buckeyes were the underdogs to the Longhorns. The game will be loaded with star power, featuring three of the oddsmakers' top seven Heisman candidates -- Manning, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. ESPN Analytics gives the game a 100.0 in pregame matchup quality, their highest-rated game of the season. "College GameDay" will also be in attendance. "I think it's great for our game," Sarkisian said. "The fact that we'll have, whether it's the [San Antonio] Spurs team, the [Houston] Rockets team, how many other people on our sideline, their side, that's great because these are two great teams that are going to battle and going to compete against one another." Sarkisian said he believes 20 million people could watch the game. He said his team will need to be focused on their preparation rather than the atmosphere around the matchup. "This will be the most-watched regular season game, arguably, of all time in the regular season," Sarkisian said. "That's great for everybody else. For us, what are we doing today?" Longhorns wide receiver Cam Coleman said the Longhorns are ready. "They can expect that we're coming," Coleman said. "We're coming."