The reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes opened their title defense with a statement win, taking down No. 1 Texas 14-7 in a blockbuster season opener on Saturday. In a highly anticipated matchup that headlined the first full weekend of the 2025 college football season, it was Ohio State’s defense, not the much-hyped Arch Manning, that stole the show.
Manning entered as the main attraction, but the Buckeyes’ defense under first-year coordinator Matt Patricia shut down the Longhorns until late in the fourth quarter. Texas did not score until 3:28 remained, when Manning connected with Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown. Even then, Ohio State’s defense had the final say, producing a fourth-and-5 stop with just over two minutes left to seal the win. Manning finished 17 of 30 for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, with much of that production coming in the closing minutes.
Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, once a five-star recruit, did just enough in his collegiate debut to lead the Buckeyes. He became the first quarterback since Jim Harbaugh in 1984 to beat the AP No. 1 team in his first career start, throwing a 40-yard touchdown to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter to give Ohio State a 14-0 cushion. Sayin completed 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards, while coach Ryan Day kept the game plan conservative to put his young signal caller in the best position to succeed.
The Buckeyes’ defense carried the day with clutch red zone stops. Twice in the second half Texas drove inside the 10-yard line, only to come away empty. In the third quarter, Manning was stuffed at the goal line on a fourth-and-1 QB sneak. Midway through the fourth, Davison Igbinosun broke up a pass in the end zone intended for Livingstone to deny Texas again. Ohio State also forced an interception when Jermaine Matthews Jr. picked off Manning on one of his few deep attempts. The Longhorns finished just 1 of 5 on fourth down, a statistic that proved costly.
Saturday’s game marked the first time since 1988 that a reigning national champion opened against a top-five AP opponent. Despite losing 14 NFL Draft picks and both coordinators from last year’s championship team, Ohio State looked more than capable of mounting another championship run, answering questions with grit, defense, and a poised performance from a freshman quarterback on the national stage.
