AUSTIN, Texas — Matthew McConaughey said Monday night on ESPN’s “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” that more players on this Texas team believe it is their time to beat Ohio State than on any Longhorns team he has been around in a long time, five days before the Texas Longhorns host the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
McConaughey is a 1993 Texas graduate, and the University of Texas Board of Regents gave him the Minister of Culture title in 2018 alongside its approval of the school’s $338 million on-campus basketball arena. He is often on the Texas sideline for the program’s biggest games.
Three days before the appearance, hours after Texas beat the Texas State Bobcats 59-7 in Austin, McConaughey posted on X that the Buckeyes were coming to the Longhorns’ house and that it was “OUR time.”
“As much as we know this is a massive game, as much as we know who Ohio State is,” McConaughey said, “not just this year, but through their history, we will be the best — and we are our best — when we’re playing against our own University of Texas Longhorns standard.”
In the AP Top 25 released Tuesday, the first regular-season poll of the year, Texas moved up one spot to No. 4. Ohio State held No. 1 and received 46 of the 69 first-place votes. Texas drew two. The US LBM Coaches Poll, released the same day, has Texas at No. 3.
Matthew McConaughey Says Belief And Hope Are Not The Same Thing
McConaughey’s read on the 2026 Longhorns is that they have a map this year.
“Belief and hope are two different things. Belief has a map,” McConaughey explained. “This year I believe we have a map.”
“It’s between the ears of more of these young men on this football team, the belief that this is the time to do it,” McConaughey continued. “It’s in between more ears on the football team than I have felt it in a long time.”
Against Texas State on Sept. 5, Arch Manning completed 20-of-27 passes for 305 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He left with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter. Two of the touchdown passes went to Cam Coleman, from 6 and 20 yards. Hollywood Smothers caught a 13-yard touchdown and carried 10 times for 70 yards, and Ryan Wingo finished with 121 receiving yards.
Texas added 22 transfers in the offseason. Coleman, Smothers, and Raleek Brown all scored in the opener.
Through six seasons in Austin, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is 49-20. The Longhorns are 21-1 in their last 22 games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Ohio State Leads The All-Time Series Before Saturday’s Kickoff In Austin
Kickoff Saturday is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. ESPN’s College GameDay broadcasts from the Texas campus from 8 to 11 a.m. CT that morning.
Ohio State leads the all-time series 3-2 and has won the past two meetings. The Buckeyes won 14-7 in Columbus in last season’s opener on Aug. 30. Manning went 17-of-30 for 170 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in that game. Ohio State also beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 10, 2025.
Texas has not beaten Ohio State since a 24-21 win in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5, 2009.
Saturday is the third straight season the two programs have played, and the first Ohio State game in Austin since 2006. The Buckeyes opened this season Sept. 5 with a 56-3 win over Ball State. Texas is 1-0 and begins SEC play Sept. 26 at Tennessee.
