Texas coach Steven Sarkisian is winless against Ohio State. This year's matchup marks his third opportunity to get in the win column.
Both the Buckeyes and Longhorns are ranked within the top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll and the Associated Press poll. OSU holds the top spot in both polls, while Texas ranks No. 3 in the Coaches and No. 4 in the AP.
In 2025, No. 3 Ohio State beat No. 1 Texas in a 14-7 season-opening victory that saw limited offense.
Texas also fell to Florida and Georgia last season and landed outside the College Football Playoff.
Sarkisian and Day first squared off in the 2025 Cotton Bowl, which doubled as a CFP semifinal game. The Buckeyes beat Texas 28-14 and went on to win the national championship.
Here's what Steve Sarkisian
during media availability on Sept. 7 ahead of the Ohio State-Texas game.
Steve Sarkisian on Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith: 'We better know where No. 4 is on every snap'
Labeling Jeremiah Smith "arguably the best player in college football," Steve Sarkisian spoke at length about the Ohio State wide receiver, who put up 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns in one half of play against Ball State Sept. 5.
“I think, one, he garners your attention and he deserves our attention," said Sarkisian. "... The challenge is, with him, it’s the size, speed, catch radius. He’s a big, physical guy who can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. It doesn’t always look like it, but it almost feels like it. You can feel his presence on the field."
Sarkisian continued: "... This guy looks like Julio Jones, this guy looks like A.J. Brown physically. He can cover ground and then, because he’s so strong, 50-50 catches are difficult with him. You have to have a plan. But I think like anything when you have a plan against somebody like him, you can’t just throw all fastballs. As good as a fastball as you have, if that’s all you got, sooner or later you’re gonna hit it. We’ve got to be able to mix our pitches up in how we defend him and how we defend the scheme."
Jeremiah Smith has had relatively quiet games against Texas in two appearances. Smith had six catches for 43 yards in last year's season opener. In the CFP semifinal in his rookie season, Smith managed just one catch for three yards, his lowest total in a game.
Crazy🤣 https://t.co/SuFmmVV60j
— Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) January 11, 2025
"Not every game do you go into it where you say, ‘Hey, we need to know where this guy is on every snap.’ We better know where No. 4 is on every snap," Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian talks development of quarterbacks Julian Sayin, Arch Manning since 2025 opener
Sarkisian was asked how much his own quarterback, Arch Manning, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin have developed since meeting early in their careers.
"Pretty drastically different," Sarkisian said. "You see the level of confidence that both guys are playing with. I think what you notice is the presence in the pocket. I think you notice their confidence to use their legs, you saw Julian do it last week [when] he tucked it and scored a touchdown. I just think the confidence both guys deliver the ball with, you can see the trust in timing. Pretty drastic difference of the two players now the second time around going up against one another. Should be pretty high-level quarterback play on Saturday."
Here is a comparison between Manning and Sayin in the 2025 season.
- Total touchdowns: Sayin 32 (all passing); Manning 36 (26 passing, 10 rushing)
- 2025 record: Julian Sayin: 12-2; Arch Manning: 10-3
- Passing yards: Sayin 3,610; Manning 3,163
- Completion percentage: Sayin 77.0% (led FBS); Manning 61.4%
- Interceptions: Sayin 8; Manning 7
- Rushing yards: Sayin -44; Manning 399
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian compliments Ohio State's staff
"That's a nice luxury to have, having two NFL head coaches on your staff as your play callers," said Sarkisian about Day having both offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as assistants.
Smith continued: "I thought it was really, really great hires. These guys are fantastic coaches. They are elite at what they do. I think it fits philosophically with who Ohio State is and wants to continue to be. I don’t know that that fits everybody with what they do, but I think it fits them really well, and obviously it’s paid dividends for them."Last year, Ohio State's defense led by Patricia held Texas to one score. The Longhorns converted on just five of 14 third downs and one of five fourth-down tries in the loss.
Identifying a 'common denominator' in last two Ohio State-Texas games
Sarkisian said he didn't know whether there was a common denominator in the Texas' losses to Ohio State because of the roster changes and strategy adjustments required for each game.
"I think that each year was different," Sarkisian said. "I think each was different, just like this year’s different. We’re a different team today than we were two years ago and they are, too. They were a different team last year than the year before. When you talk about Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, those guys were real factors obviously in that game two years ago. Last year, they had some elite defensive players. Three of the top picks were on defense with [Caleb] Downs, [Arvell] Reese and [Sonny] Styles."
Sarkisian did identify one common theme from each matchup: having to play from behind.
"... I think the biggest common thread in both games was we essentially played behind. We were playing behind in the second half, and that’s an uncomfortable feeling when you feel like you’re having to play catch-up; you have to take a few more risks. That’s probably the most common theme of the last two," Sarkisian said.
He added: "... Ideally, we can put a few more points on the board earlier in the game and maybe change the math a little bit of how the game goes and not feel like we’re playing behind in the fourth quarter.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said about Ohio State before the game
