Texas will travel to Columbus to face Ohio State in the season opener.
Steve Sarkisian Sends Clear Message on Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We're roughly a month away from the start of the 2025 college football season.
Right off the bat fans will be treated to one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. Texas will travel to Columbus to face Ohio State in the season opener on Aug. 30. Both the Longhorns and Buckeyes are expected to be ranked among the top three teams in the nation.
It also marks a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal last year where Ohio State defeated Texas, 28-14, in the final minutes. The upcoming matchup has no shortage of intriguing storylines and should certainly live up to the hype as quarterback phenom Arch Manning attempts to take down the reigning national champions.
One of the toughest tasks for Texas will be limiting Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who many believe is the best player in college football. The Longhorns held Smith to a season-low performance in the semifinal last year allowing only one reception for three yards. Can they do it again?
Earlier this week Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd and discussed the challenge of game planning against a player like Smith. "I do think, at the end of the day, that's where your attention needs to be," Sarkisian said.
"But, hey, they've got really good coaches. He's going to be moving around. He's not going to be lining up in one position all the time. Ideally you've got multiple people with eyes on him and guarding him, but you still have to play great team defense, and you've gotta have the ability to stop the run, and you've gotta cover the two other wideouts they have or two other really good players, too."
Sarkisian is well aware that Ohio State has playmakers all over the field. However, Texas' defense will prioritize slowing down Smith in any way possible.
"You better know where No. 4 is at all times," Sarkisian concluded.
Related: Paul Finebaum Makes College Football National Championship Prediction
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
