the Texas Longhorns dropped their season opener, 14-7, to the Ohio State Buckeyes at “The Shoe” on Saturday, but ask the team, and they will tell you that there’s no reason to panic.
Some fans might overreact to what was undoubtedly a disappointing performance from Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Thankfully for the Longhorns, he’s taking full accountability for his play, just like the leader of the team should.
When speaking to the media after the loss, Manning took the blame for the offense’s struggles.
“[I] just didn’t execute well enough,” Manning said, via On3. “I didn’t give us a chance to win. That’s on me.”
Manning completed 13 of 22 passes for 163 yards in the loss. He didn’t throw any touchdowns or interceptions. While the stats weren’t terrible, the offense as a whole struggled to move the ball consistently against a stout Buckeye defense.
It’s good to see Manning taking duty for the loss. it’s a quality that coaches and teammates will appreciate,and it shows that he’s willing to learn and grow from his mistakes.
the Longhorns will need Manning to be at his best if they want to compete for a Big 12 title this season. They’ll have a chance to bounce back next week against UTSA.It was just too little, too late for Texas, which had its chances but failed to capitalize. This was highlighted by being stopped in the red zone twice by Ohio State’s elite defense.”Can’t wait till the second half to kind of get things going,” Manning said. “…It didn’t start fast enough. Took a whole half for us to kind of get the ball down the field. so that starts with me. Gotta get back to square one and then get back Monday and go prepare for San Jose State.”
[Image of texas Longhorns quarterback Arch manning]