The buzz may have settled after Ohio State Buckeyes’ statement win over the Texas Longhorns, but the aftermath is still making waves. This time, it was Ryan Day who weighed in on Arch Manning, who didn’t have the ideal debut as Texas’ new starter.
Despite Manning’s turbulent performance at The Horseshoe, the opposing head coach made it clear that the young quarterback’s talent is undeniable — and that he could very well become one of the best at his position in the NCAA this year.
“No, he’s going to be a great player and is a great player. We just felt like in Week 1, we didn’t want to beat ourselves, so we took that into consideration in everything that we did. … It’s the same thing on defense,” Day said postgame.
“And he’s going to be a great quarterback and is a tremendous talent. But anybody you play in that first week, you just don’t want to beat yourself, and then you go from there. He made some really good throws there in the fourth quarter, and you could you can see the talent, but give our defense credit.”
Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns.
Will they meet again in the playoffs?
Last season, the Buckeyes faced off against the Longhorns in the playoffs, coming away with a win that brought them one step closer to the national title just weeks later. While the new season is only just beginning, there’s already a real possibility of another postseason clash — and Ryan Day can feel it coming.
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Not Arch Manning: Two QBs emerge as candidates to go first overall in 2026 NFL Draft after Texas’ loss to Ohio State
“You know, we’ll have to look at the film and see. I mean, that’s a stout front, there’s a lot of guys in there,” he said. “And, yeah, when we play them again, I don’t think it’ll look the same way, but you know, leaning on some of our tight ends in there, there were some good runs in there. I gotta really look hard now at the film and see, you know, where things didn’t go perfect.
“We were pretty tied in on both edges there. And so, you know, those are downhill runs we’re looking to really get physical and push guys around. But I do think that we were getting movement out there. It was not a high scoring game. I think we had four possessions in the first half. When it’s time to spread everybody out and air it out, we’ll do that and create more space. But this is a team that has great team speed, great team speed, and so we took that into consideration, putting the game plan together. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it’s a start.”
What’s next for Ohio State?
- vs Grambling State, September 6
- vs Ohio, September 13
- @ Washington, September 27
- vs Minnesota, October 4
- @ Illinois, October 11
