The world waited for two years to see Arch Manning start for Texas.

And in the first half against Ohio State, the world got an explanation for why Arch Manning was sitting for the last two years.

Manning short-armed throws, threw into coverage and failed to get any traction at all on offense in the first 30 minutes at The Shoe.

The highly-touted QB went into the half just five-for-10 for 26 yards, with the Longhorns failing to make it past the Ohio State 40-yard-line as Ohio State claimed a 7-0 lead.

To be fair, the Buckeyes do have a highly-touted defense and Columbus is a tough place to play.

But Manning, a five-star quarterback hyped as a potential No. 1 overall pick was expected to do much more than this, with Texas the preseason No. 1 based in no small part on him being under center.

There’s still the second half to try to turn things around, and luckily for Texas, Ohio State and its quarterback, Julian Sayin, didn’t look much better.

The Buckeyes did get down the field for a touchdown, but otherwise this was a defensive slugfest where neither team ran the ball well or had great quarterback play.

A game that was hyped as a pair of offensive juggernauts instead has the feel of Purdue-Iowa in a November gale.

Manning and the Longhorns will need to change that in the second half, though Ohio State will start with the ball and a chance to extend its lead.

In any case, Manning should look better against lighter competition — the Longhorns face San Jose State and UTEP the next two weeks — but NFL evaluators will have to grapple with some less-than-ideal tape from this one.

And come SEC play — or, preferably, come the second half — there will need to be significant improvement, otherwise Texas could be in trouble.