At last, college football season is here and the long anticipated wait is now over. And of course, the first Big Noon matchup caught a lot of attention. Although many times preseason rankings don’t age well, when the No. 1 team in the nation takes on the reigning National Champions, people will certainly tune in. On Saturday, August 30, the Ohio State Buckeyes hosted the Texas Longhorns in what became a defensive battle, ultimately won by the Buckeyes 14-7.
The first Big Noon Kickoff show highlighted the pressure both teams were under to perform well. Starting off with Ohio State, the Buckeyes showed a lot of promise last season and were able to take home their 9th National Championship win. Ahead of this game, the Buckeyes were prepared to play a more conservative offense, after loosing a significant amount of players and starting a new quarterback. However, Buckeyes’ quarterback Julian Sayin performed well with 126 passing yards and no interceptions.
But Ohio State’s offensive is not what won them this game. Their defense was nothing short of dominant. They forced four turnovers on downs, four punts, picked off a pass, and only let up one touchdown all game. Overall, Ohio State’s performance against the No. 1 ranked team going into the season illustrated that the Buckeyes are on the hunt for another championship. “Ohio State’s performance in Week 1 shows that they are back and ready for any competition, including Michigan,” die-hard Buckeyes fan Ben Brazis explained.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Texas struggled moving the ball. Ahead of the matchup, fans and experts had high hopes for Texas, specifically due to their new starting quarterback. When a Manning is heading the team, everyone is sure to be talking about it. Arch Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, had his first college start this weekend. Although receivers struggled getting open early in the game, a significant number of incomplete passes can be credited to Manning overthrowing balls, spending too much time in the pocket, and misreading the defense. With all the pressure on his shoulders, Manning could have been just shaking off his nerves. With a strong roster and good coaching staff, the Longhorns can easily bounce back from this Week 1 loss.
Ultimately, the long awaited game allowed the Buckeye’s to demonstrate their promising defense and the Longhorns to evaluate and improve their offense led by Manning. Every week from now on will be filled with electric football that should not be missed. Senior Tessa Grossman commented on the start of the season saying “I’m really looking forward to the start of college football. I watched some games this weekend including South Carolina vs Virginia Tech and want to get more into it this year!” Even if your team isn’t the best, college football is a great way to connect with friends, watch incredible athletes, and enjoy your Saturdays!
