Actually, this was about as ugly as it could get for the No.4 Longhorns football program, at least for three quarters of this thriller.For a year, we had been looking forward to this rematch between two of the top-spenders in college football, with Texas spending around $40 million on its roster this season.Saturday night did not disappoint.TEXAS VS OHIO STATE IS MORE THAN A REMATCH: A BBQ-FUELED COLLISION BETWEEN COLLEGE FOOTBALL POWER BROKERSLed by Cam Coleman, Trey Wingo and a flurry of offensive weapons, the Longhorns looked more like a mediocre football team for three quarters.
Then the Buckeyes could no longer convert, allowing Texas to take advantage of a worn-down Ohio State team.Arch Manning No.16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept.
12, 2026, in Austin, Texas.(Getty Images)The first offensive play of the game for Texas turned into a fumble.
From there, Ohio State toyed with the Longhorns throughout the first half.The Buckeyes led 20-3 at halftime after holding Texas to just 97 yards of offense over the first 30 minutes.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.
DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!This was the Jeremiah Smith show, with the Ohio State wide receiver making Texas’ secondary look inept almost every time quarterback Julian Sayin looked his way, at least until it wasn’t.For Arch Manning, there was nothing much going his way for three quarters of this Top-5 showdown, which had the Longhorns trailing 23-3.Whether it was overthrown passes, dropped dimes or interesting play calls from the offensive staff, this one was looking like a major letdown.At the 8:55 mark of the third quarter, Jeremiah Smith darted down the sidelines as Julian Sayin threw up a heave in front of the Texas Longhorns bench.There was only one way this one was going to end, and it came with Smith dogging a defender in the process of bringing down the 48-yard catch.H...