Last year, Paul Finebaum predicted Texas would “beat Ohio State badly.” Instead, the Buckeyes handed Arch Manning and the Longhorns a 14-7 reality check, forcing Finebaum to apologize; even his wife, Linda, called him out. A year later, though, nothing seems to have changed.
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During a conversation on ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ Paul Finebaum was asked about his prediction for Manning. He said he was excited to watch Texas QB1’s journey this year and once again backed him to lead the Longhorns to victory.
“I’ve never been around a quarterback who has ever handled himself better than Arch Manning,” Finebaum said on ‘First Take’. “What he has to do is take that charisma off the field and use it on the field because last year, in this spot, he was unprepared. I blamed Steve Sarkisian for that.”
The longtime college football analyst emphasized that while Manning had a rough start last season, he finished with remarkable precision, and he is not wrong.
The Longhorns won five of their final six games, while Manning threw 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions over his last six outings. So, Finebaum’s argument holds. However, he didn’t stop there; he made another prediction.
“But he just can’t let the noise bother him. I don’t think it will, and that’s why I’m really confident that Arch Manning is going to lead his team to a victory Saturday evening,” said Finebaum.
On Saturday, the Longhorns will face Ohio State again, seeking redemption after last year’s humiliation. Finebaum is once again backing Manning to take down the Buckeyes, but this time, he has avoided any bold predictions. He believes Manning’s improved depth, along with the presence of WR Cam Coleman, could give Texas a major edge.
Against Texas State, Manning looked like the Heisman contender he was hyped to be, throwing for 305 yards while completing 20 of 27 passes for four touchdowns and one interception.
However, Ohio State is no Texas State. Ryan Day and Co. know how to dismantle even the strongest teams in a matter of seconds, and the Buckeyes already have a plan to stop Arch Manning.
Linebacker Christian Alliegro recently revealed how Ohio State’s defense is preparing to contain Texas star quarterback Arch Manning, with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia making the unit study former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben “Big Ben” Roethlisberger’s film to learn how to tackle him.
“Yeah, 100% I think definitely this week that’s gonna even be even more of an emphasis just because of how tall Arch is,” Alliegro told reporters in a recent media availability session. “So it’s one of those things if you go for his legs he’s just gonna run out of that so you kind of have to grab him. Coach P was showing us a list of how they would tackle Big Ben’s back in the day.”
Arch Manning may not play like Ben Roethlisberger, but Patricia sees one crucial similarity: both can keep plays alive. Like Big Ben, Manning is tough to bring down on first contact, and his dual-threat ability makes his legs another dangerous weapon.
“It’s one of those things you got to wrap him high, and everybody just got to kind of come and go get him,” Alliegro hinted further. “So yeah, no diving this week for sure. We can’t do that or else he’s gonna get out of it.”
Ohio State has already figured out what not to do against Arch Manning, something many teams are still trying to understand. Now, the question is whether their approach will actually work.
Paul Finebaum remains confident in Manning’s ability to win Act II against the Buckeyes, but Ryan Day has no plans to back down either.