The Ohio State football team is finally getting ready to take on Texas to start off the season. These two battled in an epic game during the Cotton Bowl, only for the Ohio State Buckeyes to emerge victorious. They moved on to play for a national title and beat Notre Dame to cap off their season.
Texas fans seem very confident that the Longhorns are going to walk out of the Shoe with a win on Saturday. A lot of their hopes are pinned there because of Arch Manning. Manning has started just two games in his collegiate career, and neither of them is close to the caliber of defense he'll face on Saturday.
Manning played just one key snap in the Cotton Bowl last season, and it was a play that it looked like a turnover. Manning almost fumbled the ball, but it was ruled that he was down. He's going to face the same kind of issues on Saturday, as Ohio State's defense is going to stifle him.
The Ohio State football team will swallow Arch Manning and Texas's offense whole
While Manning is oozing talent, he has never faced a defense as good as Ohio State will have on Saturday. Caleb Downs is the best defensive player in the country. Matt Patricia's scheme is going to be the real problem for Manning, as he's not going to know what he's looking at.
Patricia plays multiple styles of defense that won't allow Manning to stay comfortable. He won't stay in one formation for too long, making sure that Manning uses his brain more than his legs. Ohio State is going to focus on keeping him in the pocket so that he doesn't hurt them with his scrambling ability.
While the defensive line certainly has questions, the Buckeyes are going to send pressure at Manning from different directions. Sonny Styles is great at coming downhill, and that's what they are going to allow him to do. C.J. Hicks might finally break out of his shell as an edge player, too.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Buckeyes held Texas to 14 points for the second straight game. They are going to be fired up for this matchup and ready to show the world that they should be the favorites to win the national championship. A win over Texas should move them to the top of the rankings in the polls.