Ohio State University president Ravi Bellamkonda and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther condemned harassment to Buckeyes football players and coaches after the 24-23 loss to Texas on Sept. 12.

Everyone packed into the stands at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday saw senior running back Hollywood Smothers surge into the endzone to bring Texas one step closer to one of its greatest comebacks in program history. Twice.

What they might not have noticed was the way he threw himself into the line of fire without the ball in his arms to keep victory against Ohio State within striking distance.

When head coach Steve Sarkisian’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-6 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Smothers didn’t show any signs of fear. Instead, he stepped into the A-gap and took on a blitzing player to give junior quarterback Arch Manning the space he needed to convert to junior wide receiver Emmett Mosley V for an outcome-altering first down.

Smothers hadn’t experienced firsthand the painful onslaught Texas had suffered against Ohio State the previous two years, but he did everything within his power to prevent his teammates from falling a third time at the hands of a program that had already taken so much from them. 

“(He’s) willing to risk his body, put himself on the line for the team,” graduate offensive lineman Trevor Goosby said about Smothers in a Monday media availability. “That shows how much of a team player he is.”

Smothers was recognized by his program as one of Texas’ Players of the Game, not just for his fourth-quarter clutch factor and physicality, but for the work he put in continuously throughout the matchup. 

The Longhorns struggled extensively to generate offensive momentum during the first half, but their best attempts at driving the ball down the field seemed to be centered around Smothers. The North Carolina State transfer finished with 103 yards and two touchdowns, relishing the larger-than-life seeming atmosphere at DKR.

“You come to Texas for games like this and atmospheres like this,” Smothers said after Saturday’s win. “It was everything we needed it to be … It was tough, and we got it done.”

Smothers recorded 1,510 yards and 12 touchdowns across two seasons at NC State, and his speed, agility and intelligence have so far transferred to his career at Texas. Following the Longhorns’ worst rushing year of the Sarkisian era, the energy Smothers brings to the table is welcomed.

Both he and Arizona State transfer graduate running back Raleek Brown have impressed Sarkisian so far with their ability to feed off one another and make big plays in big moments.

“Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown are really tough, and they love football,” Sarkisian said in Monday’s media availability. “They run the football with passion … They were competing at a really high level Saturday night, and that’s something you don’t know until you actually get into the fire with them.”

Smothers and Brown, having transferred into Texas at the same time, have cultivated a relationship throughout the offseason and relied on each other since arriving on the Forty Acres. 

“Before I took the visit here, I called (Brown) because he was already committed – I called him and he welcomed me, showing up with love and knowing we can do this together,” Smothers said. “It’s gonna take more than one back.”

The two of them, along with the rest of Texas’ roster, still have a long way to go. Smothers faced some difficult opponents at NC State, but the weekly grind required to endure Southeastern Conference play will reveal more about both his character and his ability to continue developing as an impact player.

Arch Manning became the quarterback he was promised to be against Ohio State during Texas’s epic 24-23 comeback win in Week 2. It just took nearly three quarters for Manning to look the part, and what happened in between was anything but Arch’s best football.

Manning was 12/22 before a game-changing 4th-and-9completion to tight end Emaree Winston from UT’s 42-yard line on the Longhorns’ first touchdown drive of the evening. He had thrown several passes that resulted in losses. He threw an interception on his second pass of the night, which was Cam Coleman’s fault, since the ball bounced out of his hands off the ground directly into Jaylen McClain’s. Manning’s first completion went to Raleek Brown, but the play resulted in a fumble.

Nothing could go right for Manning and the offense on Saturday night under the lights at DKR Stadium for the better part of the first 43 minutes.

At least not until Manning found Winston on the turning point play, which he helped create by escaping the pocket and launching on the move.

Arch Manning Started Dicing Up Intermediate Zone Against Ohio State

Manning’s keys to exploiting the Buckeyes heading into the game were to attack the immediate hook and curl windows. Once he found Winston, he started leaning on his tight ends and slot receiver, Emmett Mosley V.

That reliance on attacking the linebackers and the slot corners helped set up a Ryan Wingo out route for a touchdown and multiple Hollywood Smothers touchdown runs when Texas was in the red zone.

Coleman and Wingo weren’t able to consistently get open, and when they did, they had drops. Manning had lost confidence throwing downfield and settled into checkdowns. The crowd was starting to boo him as he continued to hold onto the ball too long and only get rid of it on screen passes.

Manning became a different quarterback after gaining confidence on that fourth-down conversion.

Arch Manning’s Trajectory May Have Changed on 4th-and-9 Conversion

Manning’s entire trajectory changed after making that completion.

The Longhorns’ offense was practically dead in the water. The team was down 20 points when that happened.

Manning is now leading the No. 1 team in the country. Texas won the early contender for game of the year. The Longhorns have hope that this season could be Steve Sarkisian’s best at the helm.

All because of one play, to a player who had four catches for 72 yards coming into the Week 2 showdown.

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