Texas Took It from Ohio State

For three quarters, Texas looked finished.

Ohio State walked into Austin as the No. 1 team in the country and spent most of Saturday night showing exactly why. The Buckeyes controlled the game, frustrated Arch Manning and carried a commanding 23-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

Then everything changed.

No. 4 Texas scored 21 unanswered points in the final quarter and stunned Ohio State 24-23, completing a comeback that could become one of the defining moments of the Longhorns' season. Hollywood Smothers finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run with just 25 seconds remaining.

But this was bigger than one touchdown.

Texas Finally Answered

There were plenty of reasons for Texas to fold.

Ohio State had already beaten the Longhorns in the College Football Playoff following the 2024 season. The Buckeyes beat them again in Columbus to open the 2025 season. On Saturday night, Ohio State appeared headed toward another victory over Texas.

Instead, the Longhorns finally answered.

Texas didn't gradually work its way back into the game. The comeback arrived almost entirely in the fourth quarter. Manning connected with Ryan Wingo for the touchdown that finally gave the Longhorns life. Smothers added another score with 7:14 remaining, cutting the deficit to six.

Ohio State still had an opportunity to put the game away, but Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal.

Texas had one more chance.

This time, it didn't waste it.

Manning helped move the Longhorns down the field, including a critical 19-yard completion to Emmett Mosley V. Smothers eventually went over the pile from the 1-yard line, and suddenly the team that had trailed by 20 points entering the quarter was ahead.

Texas completed the comeback with three unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Arch Manning Needed This Moment

Manning's night is exactly why this game deserves more than a standard recap.

For most of the evening, he struggled.

Ohio State made one of college football's most recognizable names look ordinary, and the questions surrounding Manning weren't going anywhere if Texas quietly finished off a double-digit loss.

Instead, Manning responded when Texas had almost no margin for error.

He didn't need a flawless four-quarter performance to change the story. He needed to deliver when the Longhorns were running out of time.

He did.

The fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Wingo started the comeback, and Manning helped direct the possession that ultimately gave Texas the lead.

That doesn't erase every concern surrounding Manning or suddenly make him the unquestioned Heisman Trophy favorite. What it does give him is something much more valuable this early in the season:

A signature moment.

When Texas was down 23-3 against the No. 1 team in the country, Manning helped bring the Longhorns back.

Ohio State Let One Get Away

Texas deserves credit for taking the game.

Ohio State also has to deal with how it lost it.

The Buckeyes had a 20-point advantage after three quarters. Jeremiah Smith had already caused major problems for the Texas defense, finishing with 164 receiving yards, and Ohio State had controlled most of the night.

Then the Buckeyes failed to score in the fourth quarter.

The missed field goal gave Texas life, but the collapse was bigger than one kick. Ohio State had spent three quarters building control of the biggest game of the young season and couldn't finish it.

For a program with national championship expectations, that will be the part that lingers.

One Win Doesn't Win a Championship — But This One Matters

It's September.

Texas hasn't won the SEC. It hasn't secured a College Football Playoff berth. And beating Ohio State doesn't guarantee what happens over the next several months.

But championship seasons usually have moments when a team has to prove it can survive when everything is going wrong.

Texas just had one.

Down 20 points.

Against No. 1.

With its quarterback struggling.

With another loss to Ohio State staring the Longhorns in the face.

Texas responded with 21 unanswered points and walked away with a 24-23 victory.

That's why Saturday night wasn't simply an upset.

For three quarters, Ohio State owned the game.

In the fourth, Texas took it from them.