Ohio State’s 56-3 opening win over Ball State answered few of the questions that matter most to Cardale Jones and Beanie Wells.
Those answers could come quickly Saturday night in Austin, where the Buckeyes face Texas and quarterback Arch Manning in one of college football’s biggest early-season matchups.
Texas was a 1 1/2-point favorite when the latest episode of *The Script* was recorded, and the panel agreed that the Longhorns’ continuity, home field and improving offense make that edge reasonable.
“I think they should be favored,” Wells said. “When you look at Texas, they got more guys coming back, so more continuity on the offensive side.”
Texas also added former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman to a group that includes Ryan Wingo, giving Manning more options and making it harder for defenses to concentrate on one target. Jones said the Longhorns have upgraded their running game while providing Manning with a true No. 1 receiver.
The environment will be a major part of the challenge for Ohio State, which had no trouble dispatching Ball State at home but now makes its first major road trip of the season. Wells, who played in Austin during his Ohio State career, called it a “crazy environment” and said the stakes of a night game only heighten the difficulty.
“I think Texas, Austin, that stadium is going to be like nothing we haven’t seen,” Wells said. “And then it’s a night game.”
The Buckeyes’ defensive game plan begins with Manning. The former top recruit showed considerable growth late last season, but the *Script* panel pointed to his struggles against pressure as an opportunity for Ohio State.
Wells’ preferred approach is to eliminate Texas’ running game and make Manning carry the offense.
“Make them one-dimensional,” Wells said. “Stop the run and put it all on Arch Manning. Put everything on him because we know in times last season when everything was on him, that’s when it became too much.”
Jones agreed that the Buckeyes must disrupt Manning’s comfort in the pocket.
“Arch Manning was not great last year versus the pressure,” Jones said. “If you continue to make him uncomfortable in the pocket you’ve got a great opportunity to slow him down.”
That pressure must come while Ohio State’s young secondary handles Coleman and Wingo. Cornerback Devin Sanchez, a Texas native, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. will be tested against a receiving corps that Wells called “ultra.”
On the other side, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin will face a far more demanding assignment after completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns against Ball State. The Buckeyes also need greater consistency in the running game, which Wells said was not dominant enough in the first half of the opener.
The offensive line will have its own defining challenge against Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons and a physical front. Ohio State can expect momentum swings, but Jones does not expect either side to take complete control.
“It’s going to be plays that Texas is going to have,” Jones said. “It’s going to be plays that Ohio State is going to have. It’s about who can limit that.”