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20 Years Ago and Today: Meet Me at 7 If You Want to Beat Ohio State

by:RT Young•05/10/25
Arch Manning
Arch Manning (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

The early part of summer is rough for the college football fan.

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It’s after the drama and news of spring, before the chaos of recruiting visits, and just far enough away from fall camp to keep you from diving headfirst into the oncoming season.

But for teams with national title aspirations like Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns, this is the time when you inch closer to the trophy you desperately covet.

Think back to this time of year 20 years ago. Immortal words were written on a board in chalk inside the Longhorns’ locker room: “If you want to beat Ohio State, meet me here every night at 7 p.m.”

Vince Young wrote those words as a challenge and a demand to his teammates, turning optional workouts into mandatory ones. In the doldrums and heat of summer, that message set the tone for a season. A national title run would have to begin with a win in Columbus, Ohio. But beating the Buckeyes would only happen with extra effort, night after night. If Young and the other leaders on that team, guys like Michael Huff, David Thomas, and Kasey Studdard—were showing up every evening, the rest of the team had no choice but to follow.

Back then, a loss in game one might have ended Texas’ title hopes. Ohio State, also chasing a championship, was a powerhouse. Over the next two seasons, they would lose only three games. Before Young to Limas Sweed in the corner and our own Drew Kelson’s game sealing forced fumble, there were those nightly workouts which laid the foundation for what was to come.

In 2025, the Longhorns will have to start their season in an eerily similar spot to where Young’s team began its legendary campaign.

A new playoff format makes an opening loss to Ohio State more bearable. But Texas, with its talent and experience, has no business losing two straight games to the Buckeyes. Even if Ohio State boasts two of the best players in college football in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs.

The Longhorns are a hungry team. They have veteran leadership in Arch Manning, Michael Taaffe, Anthony Hill and DJ Campbell, players who command the same level of respect in the locker room that Young and his peers once did. He’s got a long way to go to catch him on the field, but personality wise, Manning is in the mold of Young. He is magnetic, inspiring and demanding. You can also draw a line of succession between some of the 2005 players and there 2025 spiritual counterparts.

Like Young’s team, this team is aware championships are won during this time of year, while the fans are twiddling their thumbs and tapping their feet.

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We don’t know if there are any invitations written on a chalkboard yet. But if there are, and if Texas reaches its championship goal, we’ll be telling the story 20 years from now. 

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