No. 1 Texas managed to make some history in their season opener to No. 3 Ohio State, just not the kind it wanted. With their 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes, Texas became the first preseason No. 1 team to lose its season-opener in 35 years.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose in Week 1 was Miami in 1990. That year, the top-ranked Hurricanes went on the road to Provo, Utah, and lost to Ty Detmer and the No. 16 BYU Cougars, 28-21.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns, that wasn’t the only reason this was a historic performance for them. Only two preseason No. 1 teams scored fewer points in a season-opener than Texas did on Saturday.
The Ohio State defense gave Texas quarterback Arch Manning fits all afternoon. Manning, considered a preseason Heisman Trophy hopeful, threw for 170 yards and one touchdown but had an interception while completing just 17 of his 30 passing attempts.
The Longhorns did come agonizingly close to getting on the scoreboard twice in the second half, but they stalled out deep in the red zone. Texas got all the way down to the Ohio State 1-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. A couple of drives later, Manning misfired on fourth-and-3 from the Buckeyes’ 9-yard line.
If there is any silver lining for Texas, it’s that this may very well be the toughest defense they face all season. Things should get much easier next week when the Longhorns host San Jose State in their home-opener.
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