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No. 3 Ohio State defeat No. 1 Texas 14-7 in season opener (1:03)
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 14-7 in their season opene (1:03)
Associated Press
Aug 30, 2025, 03:39 PM ET
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the defense of their national championship with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas on Saturday.
It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season's national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.
"Just a gritty win to start the season," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "We just felt like in Week 1, we didn't want to beat ourselves. We took that into consideration with everything that we did."
Arch Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns.
Texas was 1 of 5 on fourth down, including being stopped twice in the red zone. Manning was stuffed at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal by Caden Curry and Lorenzo Styles Jr. on a QB sneak in the third quarter.
The Longhorns were driving for a tying touchdown late in the game but Jack Endries was stopped by Caleb Downs 1 yard short of a first down to end hopes of a comeback.
"Ultimately, not good enough. Obviously you don't want to start off the season 0-1," Manning said. "They're a good team. I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I've got to play better for us to win."
Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score. Tate juggled the ball before pulling it down in the end zone to put the Buckeyes up by two touchdowns.
CJ Donaldson opened the scoring midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard run up the middle to cap a 13-play, 87-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock. The Buckeyes benefitted from a pair of penalties, including a face mask call on Colin Simmons that wiped out an incomplete pass on third-and-4.
Texas finally got points with 3:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when Manning connected with Parker Livingstone on a 32-yard touchdown.
The Longhorns defense forced a three-and-out, giving Texas a chance to tie.
