First down
Players to watch for Texas
1) Arch Manning
There’s no doubt who the biggest star for Texas is right now. Arch Manning is the projected top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and likely would have been the first pick in April’s draft had he declared.
After opening up last season throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown against Ohio State, Manning finished the season with 26 passing touchdowns and 3,163 yards, while adding 10 rushing touchdowns. Manning is one of the favorites to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.
2) Cam Coleman
The biggest acquisition for Texas in the
transfer portal during the offseason was wide receiver Cam Coleman from Auburn. In two seasons with the Tigers, Coleman grabbed 93 passing touchdowns for over 1,300 yards and 13 scores.
In his first game in the burnt orange, Coleman hauled in three passes for 70 yards, finding the end zone twice. The junior is expected to be in the mix for the Biletnikoff Award this season, trying to keep up with Ohio State wideout Jeremiah S,it’s in their pursuit for the honor.
3) Colin Simmons
Prior to last year’s game Simmons provided Ohio State with some bulletin board material when he boasted how eager he was to sack new Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin.
The edge rusher couldn’t back up his prediction, getting shutout by Ohio State’s offensive line.
The most notable play from Simmons in the game came when he was flagged for a personal foul when he ripped Phillip Daniels’ helmet off, keeping a Buckeye drive alive that would end with their first touchdown of the game.
Simmons would put up big numbers the rest of the season, finishing with 12 sacks on his way to earning first team All-SEC honors. The junior from Dallas started the 2026 season with a fumble recovery last week against Texas State.
Second down
Keys for Ohio State
1) Don’t abandon the run
Last season Ohio State only gained 77 yards on the ground against Texas on 34 carries. Even though the Buckeyes only averaged 2.3 yards per carry, sticking to the ground helped them hold onto the football for 33 minutes, wearing on the Longhorn defense on a hot day in Columbus.
This year is a little different since Julian Sayin not only is entering his second season as starter, the quarterback has the luxury of Jeremiah Smith at wide receiver. Ohio State needs to be effective at running the ball though, as they can’t allow Texas to load up on defending the pass.
With four backs to spread the carries around to, the Buckeyes need to rotate guys in and use their depth to gnaw away at the opposing defense. Some of the running won’t be pretty but it serves a purpose.
2) Keep your cool
Last year we saw how a critical penalty can swing a game.
Colin Simmons was flagged for a personal foul when he pulled off offensive lineman Phillip Daniels’ helmet, keeping an Ohio State drive alive. The Buckeyes would go on to score their first touchdown of the game at the end of drive, taking a lead against the Longhorns that they would never give up.
With the two teams playing for the third time since January 2025, emotions will likely be high under the lights in Austin. With the two teams separated by just a few spots in the rankings, a critical penalty could very well end up deciding the game.
If you’re a Buckeye, you don’t want to be the one who loses their cool and possibly costs Ohio State the game.
Texas will try and get under Ohio State’s skin, which they failed at last year in Columbus. The refs will likely be quicker to throw flags for the Longhorns since this game is in Austin, so the best strategy for the Buckeyes is to not give the refs anything to make them even think about throwing a flag when it comes to any personal foul penalties.
3) Protect Legend from himself
There’s no question Legend Bey is an incredible athlete. The true freshman running back is already being compared to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. If Bey keeps making plays like we saw in the opener against Ball State, he could be seeing the majority of the carries at running back before the end of the season.
What could keep Legend off the field is some of his decision-making. Just look at some of his kick returns last week against Ball State. On one occasion, Bey blasted through the stop sign of team captain Brandon Inniss. The decision to ignore Inniss ended about as poorly as you’d expect, with the return resulting in a minimal gain.
Bey might have been able to get away with some of those decisions against Ball State. Straying from the advice of his elders won’t fly on Saturday night in Austin. The freshman will likely be juiced to get on the field since he is from Texas.
Bey just needs to use that energy to positive use and not make a silly mistake that could cost Ohio State the game.
Third down
Notable Ohio State/Texas connections
1) Hero Kanu
The defensive end from Germany committed to Ohio State out of high school, appearing in 27 games for the Buckeyes before jumping into the transfer portal after the 2024 season.
Kanu decided to head to Texas, where he started 12 games last season, registering 31 tackles and two sacks. In last year’s game in Columbus, Kanu was credited with two tackles. The former Buckeyes finished this year’s opener against Texas State with three stops.
2) Quinn Ewers
The quarterback from Southlake originally committed to Texas while he was in high school before flipping to Ohio State. After reclassifying and heading to Columbus a year earlier than expected, becoming the first college athlete to sign an NIL deal for over $1 million.
Ewers’ time with the Buckeyes was short, taking just two snaps in 2021 before returning to his home state and transferring to Texas. In three seasons with the Longhorns, Ewers threw for over 9,000 yards and 68 touchdowns, helping Texas reach the College Football Playoff twice.
In the final game of his college career, Ewers lost to Ohio State 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
3) Scottie Scheffler
This may be a bit of a stretch but there’s not a ton of connections between the two schools. The top-ranked golfer in the world graduated from Texas in 2018. Along with winning four major championships, Scheffler has won The Memorial twice, which is a tournament hosted by Ohio State legend Jack Nicklaus.
Scheffler had a chance to win the tournament three straight years but fell short back in June. Despite not winning in Dublin, Scheffler went on to win the Tour Championship at the end of August for the second time in three years.
