Well, it's safe to say that's not what Texas fans had in mind. Sure, it was always possible that the Horns would lose at Ohio State in Week 1; opening on the road against the defending national champs, with a new starting quarterback and key players gone from last year's team, is a tough assignment. But losing is one thing — losing the way the Horns lost, looking listless on offense until the very end of a 14-7 defeat, wasn't on anyone's bingo card.
Texas didn't look anything like the fireworks show many expected all summer long. There were some silver linings here, namely the interior of this rebuilt defensive line and the secondary, but there are even more questions that need to be answered — and fast. Who should come in for the most blame after Saturday's loss? Let's dive in.
4. Jaylon Guilbeau
It's hard to lay much of any blame on the Texas defense today. They held Ohio State to 14 points and just 3.8 yards per play, after all, giving Manning and Co. ample opportunity to try and claw back into this game. Jeremiah Smith didn't have much of any room to operate, and the Buckeyes didn't have a single run of 10+ yards.
The only time the dam really broke was early in the fourth quarter, when Carnell Tate roasted Guilbeau for a 40-yard touchdown catch that gave Ohio State some much-needed breathing room. It was the only explosive play the Buckeyes found all day, and it was just enough to put the game out of reach. Again, ideally you don't need your defense to hold the opposition to just a single touchdown, but Guilbeau needed to hold up in his matchup with Tate given how much attention was being placed on Smith.
3. Matthew Golden
Manning (and the other guy still to come on this list) is about to come in for a ton of heat. And you can't say it's not deserved: After an entire offseason full of hype and Heisman talk, Arch looked like the stage was a bit too big for him, missing several throws that he'd love to have back.
But for every mistake Manning made, there was another dropback where he had plenty of time to throw but no one to throw it to. Despite the losses of Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond to the NFL this spring, everyone just assumed that Texas' receiver group would be fine; Wingo was a five-star recruit who flashed major upside last season, and he seemed as poised for a breakout as Manning did.
But in his first real test as the top guy, Wingo was invisible all too often. Granted, his QB didn't help matters here, as there were a couple of moments where Wingo was open but didn't get an accurate throw. Still, this was hardly the impact performance that fans were expecting, and it raises real questions about whether Wingo is good enough right now to fill Golden's shoes. The season's still early, and the physical tools are obvious, but he disappeared for long stretches on Saturday.
2. Arch Manning
Yes, it was just one game. Yes, it was just Manning's third start at the collegiate level. And yes, he wasn't always put in positions to succeed (more on that in just a moment). But it's impossible to ignore just how shaky Arch looked for much of this game: His footwork broke down, he held the ball far too long and he missed several throws that he needed to hit — including a couple on Texas' final drive as the Horns were looking to tie the game.
None of which means that we have to pretend Manning was entirely a product of media hype or a mega-watt last name. The talent we saw last year is still there; he's still a strong runner, and he still has the ability to make legitimate NFL throws (look no further than the hole shot he threw to tight end Jack Endries on Texas' lone scoring drive of the day). It's entirely possible that this was just a bit too much, too soon, and that he settles in as the season goes on and starts putting up big numbers.
But Texas' defense did more than enough to get a win on the road against the defending national champions. If you'd told fans that before kickoff, they would've felt all too confident in leaving Columbus with a win. Manning missed plays he needed to make, and Texas is 0-1 because of it.
1. Steve Sarkisian
If you want to argue that Arch deserves to be No. 1 here, I won't argue too much; he's the prince who was promised who had the ball in his hands, after all. But I just keep coming back to how staid Sark's gameplan felt, particularly in the first half. Wanting to ease in your new starting quarterback is one thing; tying one hand behind his back is another, and there were none of the slick screens and bells and whistles we've come to expect from this offense — not to mention very little of Manning as a runner until the second half.
Sark eventually started to figure some things out, going with more tempo and creating more open receivers as the game went on. His track record still speaks for itself, and this offense should be just fine moving forward. But how many times did Manning sit back there with nowhere to go with the ball? How often did Texas light early downs on fire, especially early? Sark's biggest value add is as a scheme lord, and he got largely worked by Matt Patricia on Saturday.