We didn’t have to wait long for a game of the year candidate. Of course, it didn’t look that way through three quarters. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith being unguardable was no huge surprise, but he had two of his more quiet college games in his two previous matchups against Texas. He exploded out of the gates in Austin on Saturday, but the Buckeyes offense went quiet in the fourth quarter and the Longhorns kicked into gear after a tough start for Arch Manning & Co.
Drops and mishaps plagued Texas early, but Manning was absolutely dialed in during the fourth quarter, leading three consecutive touchdown drives to pull his team back from a 23–3 deficit to win 24–23.