The Texas Longhorns and quarterback Arch Manning went into their matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
While many were picking Texas to win the game, that did not end up being the case. Instead, the Buckeyes were able to pull out a hard-fought 14-7 win.
All game long, the Longhorns simply did not look right. Manning, in particular, had a rough showing in the season opener.
When all was said and done, Manning completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 170 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. He also ran for 38 yards on 10 attempts. Those weren’t the numbers fans were hoping to see.
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Following the game, former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert took to social media to share a concerning opinion on Manning. He doesn’t think the Texas quarterback is healthy.
In a post on X, Benkert suggested that Manning is dealing with a shoulder injury.
“Arch clearly has a shoulder injury,” Benkert wrote. “They definitely aren’t disclosing it. He has zero power and has to put everything he can into it. Wouldn’t be shocked if he strained it in camp.”
Throughout the entire game, Manning did not look comfortable. He continually seemed to be moving his shoulders to stretch them. Even when he did that, he didn’t look comfortable.
It’s possible that Benkert could be right. Also, it’s possible that Ohio State simply had a great game plan put into action by first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
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One thing is for sure, which is the fact that the Longhorns cannot afford to have that kind of a performance again. Their defense played well against Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes’ offense. Unfortunately, they won’t win many games if the offense scores just seven points.
Steve Sarkisian has a lot of work to do heading into Week 2. They will be facing off against San Jose State at home next week, which will give them a much easier matchup to work through some of their issues.
Hopefully, Manning isn’t dealing with an injury and simply had a rough Week 1 performance. If he is dealing with a shoulder injury, that should become clear next week against a much weaker opponent.
For more on the Texas Longhorns and for more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
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