The Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes meet on Saturday for the biggest non-conference game in college football this year, featuring two top four teams. The two blue bloods have only met five times on the football field. It seems like more. That's because every single time the two teams have played there's been a lot on the line.
It's incredible that two of the most historic college football programs had never met until 2005. Old bowl alliances didn't have a great path for the two teams to play in the postseason and '05 was the first time the two schools had scheduled each other as non-conference opponents.
That first meeting was also at the Horseshoe in Columbus and the Longhorns were the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, behind USC.
The Buckeyes were ranked No. 4. That was the first big win in Vince Young's national championship season.
The next season, the two met in Austin and it was a different story. The Week 2 matchup featured No. 1 OSU vs. No. 2 UT in what was Colt McCoy's second start as a redshirt freshman.
The Longhorns, angry about not playing for the national title, played a feisty Ohio State squad in the Fiesta Bowl in 2009. McCoy was the Texas QB and Terrelle Pryor led Ohio State. But it was Texas WR Quan Cosby that was the hero.
Of course, there was Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2024 season, which was the college football playoff semifinal. And last year's baptism by fire for newly named starting quarterback Arch Manning.
All of the history just feeds the hype for Saturday's tilt in Austin.
2005: Texas 25, Ohio State 22 - Columbus, OH
The first ever meeting between the two giants was at Ohio State. The much-hyped Texas Longhorns were ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 4. The game was seen as a major hurdle for a Longhorns team with national title aspirations.
The Buckeyes had never lost a night game at the Horseshoe. ESPN's College GameDay was in town for the game, as well as ABC's pregame studio show. The buildup was massive and the game didn't disappoint.
Texas took an early first quarter lead on a career-long 42-yard field goal by David Pino and a five yard TD pass from Young to Billy Pittman. But the Buckeyes controlled the second quarter and took a 16-13 lead into halftime with three field goals and a Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes TD.
The third quarter saw only field goals, as the Buckeyes extend their lead to 22-16. The fourth quarter started with the UT offense struggling to put drives together against a very solid OSU defense. Ohio State drove into Texas territory last in the quarter, but missed a 50-yard FG.
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— Gage Sheets (@SheetsG23) January 5, 2025
That set up one of the most epic drives in Texas history. UT took over on their own 33 with 5:07 left in the game. Young drove Texas down to the Ohio State 24 yard line. On second and nine with 2:37 remaining to play, Young tossed a floating ball to the front corner of the endzone over the head of the Buckeyes' defender to UT WR Limas Sweed for the tying touchdown. Texas would take a tenuous one-point lead after the Pino PAT.
Needed to drive the field to set up a game-winning FG, Ohio State QB Justin Zwick fumbled on the drive's first play from scrimmage. The Horns drove the ball to the OSU one yard line but couldn't punch it in to secure the game. After UT turned the ball over on downs, Ohio State inserted Troy Smith again at QB. He would be sacked on the first play for a safety. Texas won the game 25-22.
Texas became the first non-conference opponent to beat The Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium in 15-years, ending a 36-game non-conference home winning streak. The Longhorns also became the first team to ever beat the Buckeyes in a night game at The Horseshoe.
Texas would go onto an undefeated season and a national championship.
2006: Ohio State 24, Texas 7 - Austin, TX
With the departure of Vince Young the the NFL, Mack Brown handed the reigns of the offense to redshirt freshman Colt McCoy. While McCoy would go on to being a Legend at UT with his number retired, facing the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in his second game as a starter was a tall order.
Ohio State was led by QB Troy Smith, who would win the Heisman Trophy that season. The Longhorns were No. 2 in the nation at the time. Again, ESPN's College GameDay was in town for the battle of titans.
The Texas defense, which featured Aaron Ross, did a good job of containing OSU in the first quarter, but Smith and Buckeyes took a 7-0 lead with less than two minutes in the quarter.
McCoy tossed a TD to Billy Pittman in the second quarter to tie the game 7-7, but OSU answer and held a 14-7 lead going into the halftime locker room.
The Buckeyes stymied McCoy and the Texas offense in the second half. McCoy finished the game 19 for 32 with just 154 yards passing, 1 TD and 1 INT. Texas RB Jamaal Charles could only muster 70 yards rushing.
Smith and the Buckeyes scored 13 points in the second half and won the game 24-7. Ohio State would go onto the national title game, but would lose to Florida.
Texas would finish 10-3 after beating Iowa in the Alamo Bowl.
2009: Texas 24, Ohio State 21 - Fiesta Bowl
Texas was unbeaten and No. 1 much of the 2008 season until that fateful night in Lubbock when Michael Crabtree and Texas Tech upset the Horns on a last second TD.
Instead, the Horns would play in the BCS Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Ohio State. OSU came in with a 10-2 record after losing a non-conference clash against USC and a low scoring slugfest with Penn State.
McCoy, now a redshirt Junior, was a very different calibre of player than the Buckeyes faced back in 2006. The Horns were 11-1, hoping for a win that would set them up for another title run in the 2009 season.
Ohio State was led by Terrelle Pryor. The first half was won by the defenses. OSU led 6-3 at halftime. In the third quarter, McCoy and the Longhorns offense woke up. McCoy ran for a 14-yard TD and tossed another to Quan Cosby to take a 17-6 lead. But Pryor and the Buckeyes weren't done. Ohio State scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take a 21-17 with just 1:49 on the clock.
But again a Texas-Ohio State game would end with an epic drive. McCoy marched UT on an 11 play, 78-yard drive that culminated with a 26-yard TD pass to Cosby who broke free of two OSU defenders and dove into the endzone for the winning touchdown with just :16 seconds on the clock.
Texas would indeed go to the national title game the next season, but lost to Alabama after McCoy was hurt on the first drive.
2025: Ohio State 28, Texas 15 - Cotton Bowl
The Texas Longhorns night in Arlington didn’t go as planned. Despite their valiant efforts and a strong defense, they fell short against Ohio State, 28-14. While they managed to hold their own for a while, the Ohio State offense proved too much to handle.
Texas fought, but Ohio State ultimately prevailed 28-14 and will advance to the National Championship on January 20th to face off against Notre Dame.
The Buckeyes struck first with Quinshon Judkins’ 9-yard touchdown run, capping a 10-play, 64-yard drive early in the first quarter. Texas responded late in the second quarter with a 7-play, 59-yard drive, highlighted by Jaydon Blue’s 18-yard touchdown reception from Quinn Ewers to tie the game at 7-7.
Ohio State wasted no time reclaiming the lead, as TreVeyon Henderson hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard on the ensuing play. The Buckeyes entered halftime leading 14-7.
The Longhorns tied the game again in the third quarter with a 26-yard touchdown reception by Blue, finishing a 12-play, 67-yard drive. However, the Buckeyes regained control in the fourth quarter. Judkins powered into the end zone on a 1-yard run to finish a 13-play, 88-yard march, giving OSU a 21-14 edge.
The pivotal moment in the game came with 2:13 left on the cock in the 4th quarter. Texas, threatening at OSU’s 8-yard line, saw their hopes dashed as Jack Sawyer returned a Quinn Ewers fumble 83 yards for a touchdown to seal the OSU victory.
Texas attempted a last-minute effort but it was shot down after Quinn Ewers throw on 1st and 10 was intercepted by Ohio State's Caleb Downs return for 9 yds to the Texas 41. Game over.
2025: Texas 7, Ohio State 14
In his first game as the full time starter, Texas QB Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns offense looked totally out of sync at times in a 14-7 loss to Ohio State in the Horseshoe.
Manning really struggled in the first half, but finished with a more respectable stat line of 17 of 30 for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Texas, who were stopped twice in the red zone, was 1 of 5 on fourth down.
The Longhorns defense played well, holding the Buckeyes to just 14 points. But that was still too much to offset an offense that could only muster one touchdown.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeyes history: Short but epic
