Paul Finebaum issues a grave warning against Steve Sarkisian to Texas fans after blowout loss against Ohio State

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum put his full confidence in No. 1 Texas heading into Saturday’s showdown with No. 3 Ohio State. But Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns delivered a disappointing performance, falling 14-7 to the defending champs.

Before kickoff, with oddsmakers giving Ohio State only a slight edge, Finebaum dismissed the line and insisted Texas’ superior roster would make the game a mismatch.

After the Longhorns stumbled in their season opener, Finebaum shared his reaction on The Matt Barrie Show Sunday.

“Texas is the story," Finebaum said. "There’s no getting around it. (Sarkisian), for all the praise that he has received as this new-age play caller, looked pretty bad.

"This is another big-time, elite defense that outmatched him, and that’s becoming more of a trend right now. And I think if you’re a Texas fan, you need to be concerned.”

NCAA Football: Cotton Bowl-Ohio State at Texas - Source: Imagn

On Saturday, Ohio State’s defense smothered the Longhorns for most of the contest, holding them to just 336 total yards.

However, Finebaum isn’t writing Texas off.

"I don't think everybody should panic yet," Finebaum said (via SI). "I believe Texas will be in the Playoffs in December."

Paul Finebaum pumps the brakes on Arch Manning hype

Paul Finebaum had previously hyped Texas quarterback Arch Manning as a Heisman contender and even a possible Tim Tebow-like figure but was forced to temper his stance after Manning’s latest outing.

Manning finished Saturday's game with 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 17-of-30 passing. The numbers weren’t disastrous, but he missed open receivers and struggled with accuracy throughout the game.

Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Finebaum admitted his early praise may have been premature.

“It was underwhelming,” Paul Finebaum said (via AL.com). “He was uncomfortable. Just fill in the blank here. Mostly, he was terrible. The biggest problem he had was the other side completely outmatched him. Not only offensively and physically, but scheme-wise.

"I know a lot of people are hitting the panic button and saying he will be a bust. He was a bust in the first game of the season, but I don’t think he will be long-term. In the 12-team Playoff (era), there’s a lot of time to get better, and I believe he will.”

Texas will look to bounce back against San Jose State on Saturday.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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