The sun was scorching over Columbus as the No. 1 Texas Longhorns rolled into Ohio Stadium. Their star quarterback, Arch Manning , carried the weight of big-time expectations on his broad shoulders. But the weight was too heavy to bear. Ohio State, the reigning national champions with a tough defensive unit led by new coordinator Matt Patricia, quickly put the clamps on Texas. The Buckeyes’ defense dominated the trenches and disrupted nearly every rhythm Manning tried to find. For the majority of the game, Manning was held to just 170 passing yards on 17-of-30 completions, with a costly interception and a sack, adding to his woes.
Manning electrified the crowd late in the fourth quarter with a clutch 30-yard pass and a touchdown to narrow the gap to 14-7. But it wasn’t enough. That’s whe