Matthew McConaughey barely paused after Texas opened the season with a lopsided win before turning his attention to next week’s much bigger fight.
The actor and well-known Longhorns supporter posted on X shortly after the 59-7 victory over Texas State on Saturday.
“ding ding Horns in the ring. Oneinarow. Buckeyes coming to our house next — OUR time,” McConaughey wrote.
Those last two words land with extra meaning after last season. Ohio State beat Texas 14-7 in Columbus to start 2025, keeping the Longhorns off the scoreboard for three quarters and knocking the then-No. 1 team down a peg right away.
The Buckeyes have now beaten Texas in back-to-back meetings, including a College Football Playoff semifinal after the 2024 season. This time the rematch is in Austin.
McConaughey had reason to enjoy Saturday’s result before he issued that challenge. Texas scored on eight of nine offensive possessions and piled up 516 yards against Texas State.
Quarterback Arch Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdown passes, matching a career high and spreading the ball to eight different receivers.
Ryan Wingo caught seven passes for 121 yards and a score. Auburn transfer Cam Coleman hauled in two touchdown catches in his Texas debut.
The defense added its own highlights. Texas forced three turnovers, including Graceson Littleton’s 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and stretched its streak of home games with a takeaway to 24.
That was plenty against Texas State. Ohio State is a different animal, and McConaughey made it clear he knows it.
His “Oneinarow” line marked the opener without dwelling on it. Everything else in the post pointed at what comes next.
Texas was not the only team that looked sharp heading into the rematch. No. 1 Ohio State opened with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State and put up 671 yards of offense.
Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores before the Buckeyes sat him in the second half.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said afterward that Smith understood the decision because of the “monster game next week.”
McConaughey clearly saw it the same way. Neither team gets a soft landing in 2026. After both sides crushed an overmatched opponent in Week 1, they now meet with a lot more on the line.
For Manning, it is a chance to rewrite last year’s opening chapter. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the 14-7 loss in Columbus.
For Texas, it is a chance to snap a two-game skid against the Buckeyes and make an early national statement on its own field.
And for McConaughey, the bell already seems to have rung.
Texas hosts Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. Central at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. ABC will broadcast the game.
