The Ohio State Buckeyes began their title defense with a 14-7 victory over Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns. Head coach Ryan Day offered an honest take on how the team was able to grab an impressive home win.
“The story of the game was the defense,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “Those fourth-down stops were big.”
Texas turned the ball over on downs four times. According to ESPN, this was the most since a 2017 season-opening loss to Maryland. Further, Ohio State’s defense limited Manning to 17 completions, 170 passing yards, and one touchdown in his first start of the season.
Manning found tight end Jack Endries for a late-game touchdown, but never looked comfortable against the Buckeyes’ defense. Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr. picked off the quarterback at one point, and the team was close to making several other highlight-reel-worthy plays on defense.
“I thought the game plan was excellent,” Day said of the defense, “but the buy-in is what's most important. What matters is the guys and warriors on the field believing in it. … The grittiness of our guys running around, there's a lot we can build on.”
Texas was the top-ranked team in the country heading into the game, but the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes showed exactly why they could make another run at a National Championship.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was also noteworthy. The Sophomore was effective in his first collegiate start as he completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.
Overall, the Buckeyes opened their season with a needed win against an opponent that has designs on making a deep run.
“When you start a season, you want to set the tone,” Day told the Associated Press. “There’s a lot of guys who are stepping into roles for the first time ever. And for these guys to step in and really have great energy about them, I thought they were poised. I thought the moment was not too big for them.”
