The Ohio State Buckeyes' defense, led by first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, started a whole dialogue about whether Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning might not be the sure-thing NFL prospect many projected him to be.
"It's only one game, but Manning's performance today raises questions about whether he's really an elite pro prospect, or if he was overhyped because of his last name and the lineage of grandfather Archie Manning and uncles Peyton and Eli Manning. Archie Manning said before the season that he didn't think Arch would enter the 2026 NFL draft, and on the basis of today's game, Archie was perhaps even more correct than he knew: Arch doesn't look ready to be in the NFL next year," Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith wrote following the performance.
During the 14-7 Buckeyes win at the "Shoe," Manning was held to under 200 yards passing, with an interception. It wasn't all bad, but with the hype he came in with, many were expecting all good from the Longhorns star.
Texas Longhorns On SI's DJ Burton doesn't believe Manning's performance was far from what should've been expected against a Buckeyes defense that returned eight starters, including the best defender in the country, safety Caleb Downs, who was said to be in Arch's head all day long.
"Texas does not have to hit the panic button yet. Considering the tall task Manning had, his performance was not too far from what should have happened against the impressive game plan at hand. There is still time for Manning to right the ship at Texas and live up to the Heisman-caliber quarterback he was touted as before the season," Burton wrote.
As The Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger wrote after the masterpiece from Patricia and offensive play-caller Brian Hartline, the gameplan was executed to perfection by Ryan Day's two new hires.
"It wasn't pretty by the modern standards of college football, but No. 3 Ohio State's gritty 14-7 toppling of the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in a pageantry-filled opener Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium was something for purists to savor," Hedger wrote.
"Woody Hayes would've loved this one.
"Anyway, there wasn't a lot of offense, and that was A-OK by Ohio State. That's largely how the Buckeyes' coaching staff drew up its game plan against the Longhorns. Gritty and tough, like overcooked steak, was the point."
Manning's first start that wasn't out of necessity due to a Quinn Ewers injury didn't inspire much hope.
Patricia's unit simply may not facilitate hope in their opponents all season.
We'll see if Manning can prove that over time.