Steve Sarkisian isn’t pretending Texas can stroll into Saturday and treat Jeremiah Smith like just another target.
The Longhorns coach made it plain on Tuesday that Ohio State’s receiver is the center of the problem. Texas has to deal with Ryan Day’s offense, Arthur Smith calling the shots, and, above all, a player Sarkisian believes belongs in a special class.
"He’s arguably the best player in college football," Sarkisian said of Smith on Tuesday. "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."
That’s not empty praise. Texas has already spent two straight seasons trying to solve Smith, and the results have been mixed in a way that tells the story.
In the College Football Playoff semifinal loss in the Cotton Bowl, Smith was still the young star beginning to build his reputation, and Texas held him to one catch for three yards. Last year, in the season opener, he was more involved with six catches for 43 yards, though that still falls well short of what he usually does to opponents.
Now the teams meet again, and it will be the third straight season they’ve lined up against each other. The Longhorns also enter this one with a new look on defense, as Will Muschamp has taken over as coordinator from Pete Kwiatkowski. But Sarkisian said the mission against Smith doesn’t really change.
"We’ve got to be diligent in our ability to throw different pitches and then be sound in the back end to make sure that we’re aware of No. 4 is,” Sarkisian said. “He garners that.
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."
That’s the assignment: keep track of Smith every snap and don’t let him dictate the game. Texas has done it before, at least better than most teams have. But doing it again under a new defensive setup is a different test.
Sarkisian’s view of Smith goes beyond the weekly scouting report, too. He said the receiver’s build and style put him in the company of some of the sport’s most imposing wideouts.
"When you just talk about body structure, this guy looks like Julio Jones. This guy looks like AJ Brown, like physically," Sarkisian said.
"He can cover ground, and because he's so strong, 50-50 catches are very difficult with him. So you have to have a plan."
In Other News...
Arch Manning Showed Texas Fans Something Bigger Than His Viral Fall
Before Texas even got to the opening kickoff, Arch Manning had already given Longhorns fans a moment they were not expecting when he was knocked down by a bystander in the tunnel before the first game of the season. The scene spread quickly online and became one of those viral pregame clips that seemed destined to overshadow everything else, but Manning handled the moment with humor in his media availability and then turned the focus back where Texas wanted it.
Once the ball was in his hands, Manning showed the bigger takeaway for Texas was never the stumble itself. He settled in and delivered a strong performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, a response that mattered far more than the replay circulating on social media. For a fan base watching closely, it was a reminder that the noise around Manning can be loud, but his play on the field can still speak the loudest. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Gives Texas An Edge Money Usually Complicates
Arch Mannings name carries its own kind of gravity, and at Texas that now extends well beyond the huddle. Reported to have a $2.5 million contract for the current college football season, the Longhorns quarterback is still operating in a space where multiple NIL endorsement deals can add to his profile without turning him into the most expensive player in the sport.
For a program like Texas, that matters because money can so often become a source of noise, especially when revenue sharing and roster expectations are part of the conversation. Instead, Mannings setup may give the Longhorns a cleaner kind of edge as they get ready for No. 1 Ohio State, with the focus staying on the field rather than on the usual complications that can follow a high-priced quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Answer One Costly Question In Ohio State Rematch
Last seasons matchup with Ohio State offered Texas a reminder that good stretches of offense do not always add up to enough. The Longhorns moved the ball at times but left with a blank in the most important part of the field, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has pointed to that issue as one of the biggest lessons carried forward into this years rematch.
There is more confidence around the offense now, with Cam Coleman added at receiver and Arch Manning showing more pocket presence and decisiveness. Even so, the challenge remains the same for Texas in a game of this size: turn opportunities near the goal line into points, because against Ohio State the margin for error figures to be razor thin again. [Read more 🡒]