As a new season of College Football started this past Labor Day weekend, millions of fans were split on one question: who would win the upcoming rematch? Would it be the 2025 National Champion, The Ohio State Buckeyes, or the number one-ranked team in the country, Texas? The hype for this week’s one-game had been on the rise ever since December of 2024, a month before their epic clash in the College Football Playoff Semifinal on Jan.10, 2025, which Ohio State came out on top of. America was torn on who they thought would come out of this matchup with the win, for one reason: the quarterback position. With both teams having new quarterbacks, and one of them being a part of the Manning family, with the favorite to win the Heisman trophy, the hype was bigger than ever in the college football world.
While the hype around America has been built up for months, the buildup on the OSU campus was unlike anything that has been seen in years.
“The vibe on campus was definitely different than other games team-wise, like we had The Chainsmokers perform at one of the frats, and people like Glen Powell were at the game, so it definitely brought in a huge crowd, bigger than most,” Kylie Dorst, a Junior at The Ohio State University, said.
The game started slow with both teams trading series, which both ended in a turnover on downs. After this, both teams went punt for punt until Ohio State got the ball back and drove it down the field until they were set on the Texas one-yard line, where senior running back CJ Donaldson punched it in to give the Buckeyes a 7-0 lead early in the second.
The first half rounded out with a few more empty drives that ended in punts as both teams head to the locker room, with most of the public who felt unsatisfied with the performance of both quarterbacks. Arch Manning completed 5 of 10 passes for 26 passing yards. Freshman Julian Sayin, who outperformed Manning, went 6/11 and had 53 passing yards. As the world began to react to the first half online, the audience was left wondering what could happen in the last 30 minutes of the highest anticipated bout of the year.
The public was first to comment on how both teams’ defenses were strong, with the halftime score being 7-0, as well as the teams putting up under 100 yards on offense, which is almost unheard of in college football.
Starting the second half, both teams picked up right where they left off, with Ohio State going three and out and getting forced to punt. Texas took advantage of this, finally being able to find a groove, driving 70 yards all the way down the field, until third down was set on OSU’s three-yard line. And a two-yard run by CJ Baxter left Texas one yard away from putting points on the board for the first time yet, and tying the game, drastically changing the course of how the rest of the matchup will go. Arch Manning takes the snap and sprints to the goal line. As the refs try to find the spot of the ball, it is quickly revealed that he was stopped short, and OSU puts up a dominant defensive stand, keeping Texas scoreless, and time ticks away in the third quarter.
“I think the defense was playing great. With Matt Patricia at the helm, our defense appears to have taken a significant step forward. Getting the goal line stand on fourth down was a huge momentum builder and deciding factor for the rest of the game.” Michael Kelso, OSU Alumni, said.
