AUSTIN, Texas — Paul Finebaum said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up that Arch Manning has to play a monster game when Texas hosts Ohio State on Saturday, and that the result will fall on Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
Finebaum said Sarkisian told him a couple of months ago that the 2025 opener at Ohio State probably helped Manning more than any other game he has played.
“I hate to come down on Arch, but he has to have a monster game because that game last year still shadows him a little bit,” Finebaum said. “Steve Sarkisian told me a couple of months ago that game probably helped Arch Manning more than any other game.”
“Arch, if he doesn’t shine, I think it’s going to affect him,” Finebaum continued. “But most important, Texas has to win that game, because that’s going to be on Sarkisian.”
Ohio State won that opener 14-7 on Aug. 30, 2025, at Ohio Stadium. Manning completed 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in his first road start. Texas went 1-for-5 on fourth down and scored 7 points, its fewest in a game since Nov. 6, 2021.
Heather Dinich On Arch Manning’s Finish To The 2025 Season
The conversation around Manning treats last season as a disaster, in Heather Dinich‘s view.
“I thought Arch was really good, but the offensive line and the running game have to be better for them to beat Ohio State,” Dinich said. “And I also think people forget, we’re talking about Arch, like he had a disaster last year. The final stretch, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the whole country. He’s continuing to grow.”
In 2025, his first season as the full-time starter, Manning completed 248-of-404 passes for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He ran for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns. Over the final eight games, he threw 15 touchdown passes with 2 interceptions. His 3,163 passing yards rank 10th in program history. The 26 touchdown passes rank sixth.
Texas started 3-2 and finished 7-1. The Longhorns went 10-3 and missed the College Football Playoff, and they finished 12th in the Associated Press poll after opening the season at No. 1. A year ago, Manning opened the season as the Heisman favorite at +550, according to CBS Sports.
Manning was restricted during spring practice while recovering from foot surgery, which Texas announced on Jan. 23 as a minor, preventative procedure for a prior injury. Before the opener, Sarkisian said Manning had a great fall camp.
Against Texas State on Sept. 5 in Austin, Manning completed 20-of-27 passes for 305 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 59-7 win. He threw touchdown passes to Ryan Wingo, Cam Coleman twice, and Hollywood Smothers, and he connected with eight different receivers. Wingo caught 7 passes for 121 yards and 1 touchdown. Manning left in the third quarter with Texas ahead 42-7, and the Longhorns finished with 516 yards.
Colin Simmons, Julian Sayin And Jeremiah Smith In Heather Dinich’s Title Case
Dinich’s read is that Colin Simmons will be the first player taken in the draft.
“But what makes Texas a national title contender?” Dinich explained. “He’s not even the best player on the team. Colin Simmons is. He’s going to be the first player drafted.”
“Julian Sayin is not the best player on his team. Jeremiah Smith is,” Dinich added. “You have Heisman contenders everywhere. That’s why these guys are national title contenders.”
Simmons started all 13 games in 2025 and led the SEC with 12.0 sacks. He ranked fifth nationally in the category and was a first-team All-SEC selection. His 21 sacks over his first two seasons are the most by a Texas player in his first two years on campus. In the 2025 opener at Ohio State, Simmons recorded 2 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry.
Julian Sayin finished fourth in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting with 432 points and eight first-place votes. He started all 14 games for Ohio State. In his first collegiate start, against Texas in that 2025 opener, Sayin threw for 126 yards and 1 touchdown.
Jeremiah Smith caught 163 passes for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns across his first two seasons and was a unanimous All-American in 2025. Against Texas in the 2025 opener, he caught 6 passes for 43 yards.
Ohio State opened this season with a 56-3 win over Ball State on Sept. 5. Sayin threw for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Smith caught 2 of them.
Ohio State leads the series 3-2 and has won the last two meetings, including a 28-14 win in the College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Jan. 10, 2025. Saturday is the third straight season the programs have met, and it is Ohio State’s first game in Austin since 2006.
Kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from the Texas campus from 8 to 11 a.m. CT.
