Ohio State and Texas
have another big time matchup early in the season this year. Longhorns EDGE Colin Simmons
is getting the talk started early, months before the two teams will play in Austin, Texas.
Right out of the gates last season the Ohio State Buckeyes
were tasked with a big-time matchup against the Texas Longhorns
. The two teams will play again this fall, but it'll be a Week 2 game this time around.
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Ohio State won in Columbus last year, 14-7, in a game where the Buckeyes felt in control the majority of the way because the Longhorns were unable to find much success on offense. It'll be Julian Sayin
against Arch Manning
again this year in the quarterback battle, but these teams look vastly different than a year ago.
Texas returns its top pass rusher Colin Simmons, and he's already started talking a few months out.
"Very excited," Simmons said in an interview with On3's Pete Nakos
. "Second game of the season, all that nervousness, all that jittery is out the door. We're coming. There's business to be taken care of."
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The statement appears to come across as Simmons using last year's game being in Week 1 as an excuse. There is a bit of a ramp-up in college football, with no preseason or exhibition games, but players and teams are expected to perform once Week 1 arrives.
Ohio State held Simmons to one solo tackle and no sacks a year ago. The junior pass rusher did some talking before the game last year when the Buckeyes settled on Sayin as the quarterback, but it was all for nothing.
"I'm just glad that they chose a quarterback that I'm ready to sack," Simmons stated
.
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Colin Simmons is a future NFL pass rusher that the Buckeyes have to be ready for
Simmons is going to go in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft and he'll be one of the players scouts are watching during this year's game on Sept. 12. The Texas pass rusher had 12 sacks last season and the game against Ohio State was just one of three where he didn't record a sack. With 21 sacks through two years, Simmons is a proven commodity.
Ohio State returns the majority of its offensive line this season, though there are some questions about who will be where. Phillip Daniels
saw Simmons the most at right tackle last year and fared well.
It'll be a night game in Austin this year, unlike the noon kickoff in Columbus a year ago. We are a few months out, and Simmons' comments won't be the last talk we hear before the game.
