General Information
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Texas Longhorns (-1.5)
Saturday, September 12
7:30 p.m. on ABC
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Austin, Texas – The #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel down south for a massive game with the #4-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday Night. This is a tone-setting game for both squads, as the winner will be putting the College Football world on notice. If OSU can come into a hostile night environment and pick up a win, that will set the precedent that they are coming back for the National Championship. Texas looks to do the same by taking down the #1 team in the nation.
Quick Look at the Longhorns
Texas finished last season with a 10–3 overall record and were ranked 12th in the final AP Poll under head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns also finished with a perfect 8-0 record at home, and they hope to continue that streak this season.
Sarkisian gave his roster a massive overhaul this offseason, bringing in 23 transfers and 25 freshmen. On offense, the transfer portal was used all-around. They focused hard on the running back room, bringing in the dynamic duo of junior star Hollywood Smothers (N.C. State transfer) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State transfer). Star junior wide receiver Cam Coleman was brought in from Auburn, completing an already loaded offense. Junior Ryan Wingo is right behind Coleman, as this Texas team basically has two WR1s. On top of that, junior starting quarterback Arch Manning is an early Heisman contender this year.
Starting junior linebacker Colin Simmons will be a force for the Texas defense. Coming off of a 12-sack season, he should be considered one of the best defensive players in the country this time around. Texas brought in a capable partner at linebacker in senior Rasheem Biles (Pittsburgh transfer). The duo will wreak havoc on opposing teams’ offenses.
Talentwise, this is one of the best teams in the country. Ohio State will have their hands full on both sides of the ball on Saturday night. In order for the Buckeyes to pull off a win on the road, there are a few key things they need to do. Find them in the next section.
Keys to the Game
Start Fast: This Texas team will be unforgiving if the Buckeyes start slow. They must start out hot and get some points on the board during their first drive. This game will likely be a shootout, meaning you cannot fall behind early. OSU should be aggressive, just as I said last week: throw an early deep ball to Jeremiah Smith or Devin McCuin. Hopefully, one of those connects and gets the offense into field goal range at a minimum. If not, the rowdy Texas crowd will swarm the Buckeyes.
Involve the Stars: This key is plain and simple; get your best guys involved. Jeremiah Smith needs touches on the ball early. No matter what the play design is, get him the ball. Let Smith get into the flow. Julian Sayin needs to make some early connections as well, a few short passes can help get him into the rhythm needed to tackle a road game. Last year against Texas, Sayin and Smith struggled to connect offensively. This season, they must set that tone early; just as they did against Ball State.
Lock Down the WR Duo: The Ohio State defense will be fully occupied at all times dealing with this Texas offense. A lot of their focus needs to go on Texas’ dynamic duo of Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo. The two are extremely dangerous together and if they get going, OSU could be in trouble. Quarterback Arch Manning will be looking for these guys all game. Taking away his top two options could overwhelm the star.
Prediction
As stated previously, this game is going to be all about offense. Texas has the home-field advantage and looks much better on paper. However, OSU head coach Ryan Day and Co. have the Longhorns’ number. He continues that this time around as Julian Sayin leads a late game-winning drive for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State beats Texas 38-34
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