Ohio State and Texas clash again in title-contender matchup with Heisman hopeful quarterbacks

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Across a history of college football that dates to the 1800s, Texas and Ohio State have rarely met on the field.

The Buckeyes and Longhorns are making a habit of it of late, however, with big games and big stakes. Here comes another.

Top-ranked Ohio State (1-0) and No. 4 Texas (1-0) play for the third consecutive season on Saturday night in Austin in a blockbuster matchup, an early season duel of national championship-caliber teams and Heisman Trophy contenders at quarterback. Toss in some Big Ten vs. Southeastern Conference bragging rights and the game grabs the attention of half the country.

“I didn’t come to Texas just to say I could be a head coach again,” said Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, who has twice led Texas to the College Football Playoff but is 0-2 against Ohio State. ”I came to Texas to be part of games like this.”

The programs have met just five previous times — all since 2005 — as they play in distant conferences that had different bowl game destinations for decades. The modern era of the playoff could potentially make it a more regular postseason matchup, even after the current home-and-home contract runs out.

The previous two meetings have been brawls with the Buckeyes the victors.

Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in a 2024 season CFP semifinal that was decided on a fourth-quarter scoop-and-score fumble return. Last season, Texas started No. 1 but limped out of Columbus with a 14-7 loss. The Longhorns missed the playoff and quarterback Arch Manning’s Heisman campaign was basically over as soon as it started. Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin collected his first win as a starter and would finish the season as a Heisman finalist.

Manning and Sayin will start again Saturday night and are surrounded by rosters dotted with NFL talent. The Buckeyes and Longhorns teams that lined up against each other last year had 18 players drafted by the NFL, and the rosters are equally talented this year.

Ohio State will be the first No. 1 to visit Austin since Alabama in 2022. Ohio State was rated No. 1 when the Buckeyes came to Austin in 2006 and beat the No. 2 Longhorns 24-7 behind quarterback Troy Smith, who went on to win the Heisman that season.

The Buckeyes are back again as No. 1 for a matchup in front a massive national television audience and more than 100,000 in person on a sweltering Texas night.

“Everybody in the country will be watching,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day predicted.

A showcase of elite receivers

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas’ Cam Coleman are both preseason All-Americans with size, speed and a knack for spectacular catches.

Smith hasn’t fared well against Texas, catching just 7 passes for fewer than 50 yards and no touchdowns in two games. Coleman was one of the top transfers in the country after two seasons at Auburn.

Both had big games last week, combining for four touchdowns and showing the chemistry both have with their quarterbacks. Smith also lobbied for some hardware, striking a Heisman pose after a scoring catch.

Defenses could dominate again

Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons and transfer linebacker Rasheem Biles also are preseason All-Americans. Biles grew up in the Columbus area but was a midlevel recruit when he signed with Pitt out of high school. He was one of the top transfers of the offseason but said he never considered going to Ohio State.

Ohio State defensive end Kenyatta Jackson has nine career sacks and leads a Buckeyes unit that has eight new starters. Ohio State didn’t allow a touchdown last week against Ball State and allowed just 12 touchdowns from scrimmage last season.

Wrinkles in the play calling

Texas has a new defensive coordinator in former Florida and South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp. He was the Texas defensive coordinator in 2008-2010, a stint that include a Fiesta Bowl win over Ohio State in 2008 and an undefeated regular season in 2009.

Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a former NFL head coach with Atlanta from 2021-2023. He spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining Day’s staff.

Kicking it with new kickers

Both teams have new kickers who are untested in this kind of spotlight.

Ohio State’s Connor Hawkins is a transfer from Baylor. He was 18 of 22 on field goals last season made three from 50 yards or longer. He did not attempt a field goal in the first game. Texas’ Gianni Spetic is a transfer from Memphis who was 15 of 20 last season. Spetic made his only attempt from 48 yards in the first game against Texas State.

Big run breakouts

The Buckeyes rushed for 237 yards against Ball State but just 35 in the first half in a slow start on the ground. Bo Jackson (65 yards) and Ja’Kobi Jackson (49 yards) popped long touchdown runs. Texas transfer Hollywood Smothers from N.C. State went 45 yards on the first play against Texas State, but the rest of the game was mostly a slog for Texas as the Longhorns averaged less than 3.2 yards the rest of the day.

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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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