Arch Manning gives brutal assessment of his own performance after nightmare showing in Texas' opening defeat

Arch Manning gave a brutal self-assessment after Texas opened their 2025 season with a deflating 14–7 loss to defending national champions Ohio State on Saturday.

The sophomore quarterback struggled to find his rhythm in front of a packed Ohio Stadium crowd, completing just 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

'Ultimately, not good enough,' Manning admitted after the game. 'Obviously, you don't want to start off the season going 0-1. They're a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot. That starts with me. I've got to play better for us to win.'

Expectations were sky-high for Manning heading into the season, with many tipping the Texas quarterback as a potential Heisman candidate. 

But against the Buckeyes' dominant defense, he failed to deliver in key moments - particularly in a first half where Texas failed to score, turned the ball over on downs, and punted four times.

By halftime, Manning - one of the most hyped prospects in college football and the latest star from the iconic Manning family - had thrown for just 26 yards.

The Longhorns finally showed some signs of life in the second half. A promising third-quarter drive saw them reach the red zone for the first time, only to be stopped cold on four straight run plays inside Ohio State's 10-yard line. 

Manning followed that with an interception later in the quarter and another in the fourth, though the latter was overturned after review.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian remained optimistic despite the defeat, pointing to moments of brilliance late in the game - including a 32-yard touchdown pass from Manning to wide receiver Parker Livingstone.

'We saw some real flashes and glimpses of the type of player that he's going to become here,' Sarkisian said.

For Manning, though, the post-game message was simple: it wasn't good enough.

'I sure hope so,' he said when asked if this might end up being his worst performance of the year. 'I do think so. I beat myself today. We beat ourselves. And I think we're gonna look back and say 'Wow, we improved a lot.''

Texas will look to bounce back at home next Saturday when they host San Jose State and Manning will hope this early setback.

To make matters worse for Manning his rival, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, impressed throughout. 

He had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter and Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone to open the defense of their national championship with a victory.

Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score. 

It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season's national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.