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Like many others across the country, Tom Brady was tuned in to Saturday afternoon’s matchup between Texas and Ohio State, ranked No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, at the time.
The contest marked the official start of the Arch Manning era, but it did not get off to an ideal start.
Entering the fourth quarter, the grandson of Archie and nephew of Peyton and Eli had just 38 passing yards. He finished with 167 in the Longhorns’ 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes. It was Manning’s first start on the road as a Longhorn.
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Former quarterback and current NFL announcer Tom Brady spoke about Arch Manning’s season debut with the Texas Longhorns. (IMAGN)
Social media was quick to crack some jokes about Manning, which Brady said was a “curse.”
But in speaking to Pro Football Focus, Brady said that the loss and social media wrath could be a “blessing” in disguise.
“There needs to be resilience built up in the quarterback as well. So even though he didn’t have his best game today, and they lost, if he uses this to his advantage, Arch, he’s going to be tougher for it, and he’s going to have a better next game because of it,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion said. “And I always felt like you’ve got to deal with a lot of adversity, from a quarterback standpoint, to toughen you up to be the true leader for the organization…
Texas quarterback Arch Manning drops back to pass against Ohio State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
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“Arch has years beyond this to still play in college if he wants, but it’s going to be up to him to see how he really wants to dig within himself and how deep he wants to dig in order to be successful. But there’s nothing to show me that he won’t be that. He’s been that way in high school and even last year. He’s got a lot of good people around him that know exactly what to do.”
Manning was 17-for-30 and missed a key third-down throw on the team’s penultimate play from scrimmage that would have moved the chains. He was stuffed on fourth and goal from the 1-yard line, threw a costly interception and almost threw a second.
Ohio State is now the top-ranked team in the country, while Texas dropped to No. 7.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) tries to read the Ohio State Buckeyes defense in the second quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Texas will host San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston State over the next three weeks.
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