All week, the buildup around Texas-Ohio State has had the feel of a heavyweight fight. No. 5 Texas hosts the top-ranked Buckeyes in Austin on Saturday, and the stakes are obvious: two loaded rosters, some of the biggest names in the sport, and plenty on the line for the College Football Playoff picture.
Texas has already heard from Ohio State once before. The Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 14-7 in last year’s meeting, and both teams brought back key pieces from that game. Texas, though, also attacked the transfer portal, and one of its biggest additions is already making noise.
Cam Coleman arrived as the highest-rated wide receiver in the portal, and he didn’t wait long to send a message ahead of the showdown. Speaking to On3’s Tyler Horka, Coleman made his stance clear: “We're coming,” Coleman said, per On3's Tyler Horka. “We're coming.”
That confidence matches the way he opened his Texas career on Saturday. The 6-foot-3 receiver caught Arch Manning’s first pass attempt of the season and turned it into a six-yard touchdown. Later, in the third quarter, Manning found Coleman again on a throw over the middle, and Coleman took that one 20 yards to the end zone for his second score.
By the time Texas finished off Texas State, Coleman had posted three catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the 59-7 win. That’s exactly the kind of impact the Longhorns had in mind when they brought him in, and it’s hard not to look at him as a major piece of Saturday’s game plan against Ohio State.
Texas’ offense sputtered in last year’s matchup, but Coleman wasn’t part of that group. Now he is, and he could wind up being the difference-maker in a game that also features Ryan Wingo and Jeremiah Smith at receiver.
Manning, too, has a chance to flip the script. He didn’t have a sharp night in last season’s game, but he has since logged plenty of game experience and will get this one at home.
Coleman isn’t the only player adding a little fuel to the matchup. Former Buckeye Hero Kanu also weighed in, saying, “Still got a lot of friends out there, but we don't talk this week," Kanu said. "We can chat after this week."
However it plays out, the chatter has only added to the anticipation. Texas and Ohio State are set up to deliver one of the early-season games everyone circles, and a Longhorns win would make an immediate statement about how real those championship hopes are.
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Cooper is expected to wear a protective boot on his right leg for the foreseeable future, a sign that this is more than a short-lived bump in the road. For a freshman who had started to build momentum as a contributor, the immediate question is how long Texas will have to manage without him and how the staff reshuffles the depth chart in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]