COLUMBUS, Ohio — Julian Sayin threw for 126 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in his first career start, leading No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7 on August 30 before a crowd of 107,524 at Ohio Stadium.
The defending national champions made a statement. First-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit held Arch Manning and the Longhorns to 203 total yards, stuffing Texas twice inside the 10-yard line and forcing a turnover.
This marked the fourth time the preseason No. 1 team faced the previous season’s national champion in a season opener. The defending champs have now won all four meetings.
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Freshman Quarterback Delivers Under Pressure
Sayin, a five-star recruit who transferred from Alabama in January 2024, completed 13 of 20 passes without an interception. The redshirt freshman didn’t put up gaudy numbers, but he protected the football and made throws when Ohio State needed them.
“We talked about it this week. In Week 1, we can’t beat ourselves,” coach Ryan Day said. “We wanted to make them beat us.”
The game plan was conservative by design. Day admitted he wanted to put his first-time starter in position to succeed rather than ask him to win the game alone.
| Passing Stats | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin (OSU) | 13/20 | 126 | 1 | 0 | 68.8 |
| Arch Manning (TEX) | 17/30 | 170 | 1 | 1 | 61.5 |
One Play Changed Everything
Ohio State led just 7-0 entering the fourth quarter. Then Sayin found Carnell Tate for a 40-yard touchdown with 13:08 left in the game.
Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau down the sideline, juggled the ball momentarily, then secured it in the end zone. The two-score cushion proved insurmountable for the Longhorns.
“Before the drive, they kind of let me know, ‘Hey, this might be coming,'” Sayin said. “We had done a great job in practice that week of repping that play.”
Ohio State Receiving Leaders
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnell Tate | 2 | 49 | 1 | 40 |
| Jeremiah Smith | 6 | 43 | 0 | 16 |
| Max Klare | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Texas Receiving Leaders
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Endries | 4 | 50 | 0 | 30 |
| Parker Livingstone | 2 | 47 | 1 | 32 |
| Ryan Wingo | 2 | 35 | 0 | 28 |
Patricia’s Defense Shuts Down Manning
The former New England Patriots defensive coordinator made his Ohio State debut count. Patricia’s unit harassed Manning throughout, holding him to mostly short completions until the fourth quarter.
Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, but most of that production came late with the game already decided. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian credited the Buckeyes secondary.
“They’ve got an excellent secondary, and they’ve got a good scheme, and they’ve got a very smart secondary so they made Arch work,” Sarkisian said.
The red zone defense proved critical. Caden Curry and Lorenzo Styles Jr. stuffed Manning on a fourth-and-goal quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line in the third quarter. Later, Davison Igbinosun broke up a pass on fourth-and-3 to force another turnover on downs.
Defensive Leaders
| Ohio State | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davison Igbinosun | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Arvell Reese | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Jaylen McClain | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liona Lefau | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Taaffe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Muhammad | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fourth Down Aggression Backfires
Texas converted just one of five fourth-down attempts. The Longhorns failed twice inside the Ohio State 10-yard line, killing potential scoring drives.
Sarkisian’s aggression made sense given Texas trailed throughout, but the execution wasn’t there.
Manning hit Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown with 3:28 remaining to cut the deficit to 14-7. The Longhorns defense forced a three-and-out, giving Texas one final chance.
But the comeback attempt ended at the Ohio State 47-yard line. Caleb Downs stopped Jack Endries one yard short of a first down on fourth-and-4.
“Ultimately, not good enough,” Manning said. “I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”
Running Game Breakdown
CJ Donaldson Jr. carried 19 times for 67 yards and scored Ohio State’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. That score capped a 13-play, 87-yard drive that consumed 8:57 of game clock.
Texas rushed for 166 yards on 34 carries, but the Longhorns couldn’t finish drives.
Rushing Leaders
| Ohio State | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CJ Donaldson Jr. | 19 | 67 | 3.5 | 1 |
| James Peoples | 10 | 20 | 2.0 | 0 |
| Texas | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quintrevion Wisner | 16 | 80 | 5.0 | 0 |
| CJ Baxter | 10 | 40 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Arch Manning | 10 | 38 | 3.8 | 0 |
Final Statistics
| Category | Texas | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 336 | 203 |
| Passing Yards | 170 | 126 |
| Rushing Yards | 166 | 77 |
| First Downs | 16 | 11 |
| 3rd Down | 5-14 | 3-12 |
| 4th Down | 1-5 | 1-2 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 6-50 | 2-15 |
| Possession | 27:55 | 32:05 |
What It Means
Ohio State should move to No. 1 in next week’s AP poll after beating the preseason top-ranked team at home. The Buckeyes improved to 4-3 all-time against visiting No. 1 teams.
Texas saw its 11-game road winning streak end. The Longhorns had won five straight true road games against ranked opponents before falling in Columbus.
Both programs face easier tests in Week 2. Ohio State hosts Grambling State on September 6, while Texas returns home to face San Jose State the same day.
For Sayin and Patricia, the opener provided validation. A redshirt freshman quarterback and a first-year coordinator with an NFL background just beat the country’s top-ranked team. Day’s Buckeyes made their intentions clear: they plan to defend their national championship.
