Episode Details

Welcome to a one-off Saturday night postgame show after a wild day of college football. (Maybe more to come?) The main event is Texas somehow finding a way back from a 20-3 halftime hole to beat Ohio State 24-23. Mike and Rudy admit they thought it was basically over, then watched the entire game flip as Texas controlled the second half and Arch Manning went from struggling badly to delivering when the Longhorns absolutely had to have him.

The guys also get into Steve Sarkisian’s play calling, Texas finding success by running the football, Ohio State fading in the Austin heat and the Longhorn defense holding the Buckeyes to just three second-half points. Plus, Rudy checks in after watching UTSA beat Texas State in a brutally hot rivalry game, Pelón continues his transformation into an actual football fan, and the guys look ahead to UTSA visiting Texas next week.

Topics Covered:

• Texas comes back from 20-3 down to beat Ohio State 24-23
• Arch Manning’s brutal first half and huge fourth-quarter response
• Why the game felt like a microcosm of Arch Manning’s career
• Steve Sarkisian’s play calling and whether he should give up those duties
• Texas finally leaning on the running game
• Hollywood Smothers and Relique Brown give Texas a dangerous backfield
• Texas’ offensive line takes over in the second half
• Will Muschamp’s defense shuts Ohio State down after halftime
• Jeremiah Smith and the challenge he presented Texas
• Ohio State appears to wear down in the Austin heat
• Ryan Day and Ohio State fail to stop Texas’ momentum
• Why the guys need to stop treating every Arch Manning game like an NFL audition
• Texas’ potential as a playoff and championship contender
• UTSA beats Texas State in the rivalry matchup
• Rudy’s experience at the Texas State game and the brutal heat
• Jeff Traylor gets his 100th win
• Texas prepares to face UTSA next
• Oklahoma and Michigan also enter the Saturday college football conversation
• Pelón watches four combined quarters of college football
• ITB looks ahead to the Cowboys-Giants In the Shed postgame show

Key Moments:

• At halftime, Texas is down 20-3 and Mike sees a complete coaching mismatch. By the end, he’s watching Arch Manning celebrate a 24-23 comeback victory.
• Texas scores 21 unanswered points and holds Ohio State to only three points in the second half.
• Mike and Rudy praise Arch for making plays when the game was on the line, even while acknowledging that his inconsistency is still there.
• The guys argue it may be time to stop asking whether Arch looks like an elite NFL prospect every Saturday and instead judge whether he can lead this Texas team to wins.
• Rudy points to the running game, offensive line and defense as the formula Texas can ride even when Arch is not playing elite football.
• The Longhorns become the first team since 2004, according to the stat discussed on the show, to beat an AP No. 1 after trailing that team by 20 points.
• Rudy watches UTSA’s rivalry win over Texas State from San Marcos and says the daytime heat was so brutal that he spent much of the game inside.
• After Texas and UTSA both win, the stage is set for UTSA at Texas next week.
• Pelón somehow watches four quarters of college football in one day, which may be the biggest upset of the entire Saturday.

Final Thoughts:

Texas went from getting run off its own field to delivering one of the biggest wins of the Sark and Arch era. UTSA handled its rivalry business against Texas State, the Longhorns survived Ohio State, and now those two winners are headed toward each other next week. Not bad for an unofficial, completely unplanned ITB Saturday nig