Texas found a small pregame edge against Ohio State, and it came before the first snap.
On a day when the heat index hit 110 degrees before kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the artificial turf at Campbell-Williams Field climbed to 160 degrees, the Buckeyes were the only team outside for warmups. Texas stayed across the street in its new $80-million Frank & Wofford Denius Football Training Complex.
“Figured they could go out in the heat,” Texas senior quarterback Arch Manning said.
The move fit the moment. Texas was a 1.5-point underdog during the week, and the Longhorns eventually turned the game late, scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns as Ohio State faded.
In the second half, Texas ran 46 plays, held the ball for 19:06 and out-gained the Buckeyes 239 yards to 132. On the ground, the Longhorns had a 103-46 edge, with the offensive line taking control late.
Steve Sarkisian pointed to conditioning as a major reason Texas was able to finish the way it did.
“To score 21 points in the fourth quarter against a team of that caliber, I think that’s a credit to our conditioning,” Sarkisian said. “I think that’s a credit to our players understanding why we practice the way that we do, and how hard practices are in training camp. At the end of practice, that’s the hardest part of our practice, and them embracing that for moments like this.”
Texas did warm up in the stadium for the season opener against Texas State, and it may do that again next week against UTSA in a 7:00 p.m. Central kickoff, especially with expected heavy rotation. Still, the new facility gives the program another option on game day and also helps with recovery after hot games, with more space than the old Bubble.
Once SEC play begins in Austin on October 17 against Florida, the temperature won’t matter for warmups because pandemic-era SEC guidelines require both teams to warm up in the same location.
But when Michigan visits Texas next year on September 4, the Longhorns could again have the field to themselves before kickoff.
In Other News...
Texas Just Made The AP Poll Debate Very Real
Week 2 did Texas no favors in terms of stress, but it may have done plenty for the Longhorns standing in the AP Top 25. The comeback win over Ohio State in Columbus already gave Steve Sarkisians team a national statement, and now it sits at the center of the early ranking conversation as voters sort through a loaded opening stretch of results across the country. With several contenders around the sport turning in uneven weekends, Texas has a strong case to rise near the top of the poll and force everyone else to react.
The broader debate is what makes this so interesting for Texas. Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU and Ohio State all factor into the reshuffling, which means the Longhorns are not simply waiting on a number next to their name, but on how the entire top tier is being judged after one of the first major Saturdays of the season. However the poll lands, Texas has already made the conversation much more real than it was a week ago, and the rest of the standings are about to show just how much that win in Columbus changed. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Quieted One Big Sarkisian Concern Against Ohio State
Steve Sarkisian has spent plenty of time worrying about the Longhorns red zone execution, and with good reason. Even as Texas has shown it can move the ball and create chances, the final few yards have often been the place where drives get tightened up, stalls become field goals, and a promising series suddenly feels like a missed opportunity.
Against Ohio State, though, Texas looked far more convincing when the field shrank. The Longhorns were efficient in close and finished multiple trips with real purpose, a sign that the offense can handle the kind of compressed situations Sarkisian has been pressing to clean up. For a team with bigger goals ahead, that sort of response matters because it suggests one of the most nagging issues on the staffs checklist may not be as fixed as it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Delivered The Kind Of Night Longhorn Fans Wont Forget
For a night, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium felt like the center of the college football world, and Texas made sure the spotlight stayed there. The Longhorns dug out of a 20-point hole against No. 1 Ohio State, turning a lopsided start into one of those rare home games fans talk about for years. The atmosphere never dipped, even as Texas kept finding answers, with the crowd feeding off every stop, every surge and every sign that the upset was still alive.
Steve Sarkisians team leaned into the moment and kept the pressure on the top-ranked Buckeyes until the game finally tilted Texas way. Senior running back Hollywood Smothers delivered the decisive score, capping the comeback and sending the stadium into a celebration that matched the size of the opponent and the size of the stage. For Longhorn fans, it was the kind of opening-night statement that does not just count in the standings, it lingers. [Read more 🡒]