Arch Manning was the comeback kid on Saturday night.
Despite a quiet first half, Manning helped lead the No. 4 Longhorns to a 24-23 comeback win against No. 1-ranked Ohio State at Austin, Texas. He finished with a 196 passing yards, along with a touchdown and an interception.
Texas struggled to get anything going on offense to start while the Buckeyes built a 23-3 lead midway through the third quarter.
Longhorns wideout Cam Coleman dropped a well-placed deep ball by Manning in the first quarter as he fell to the ground with the ball popping into the arms of Buckeyes safety Jaylen McClain for an interception.
In the second quarter, Manning found Ryan Wingo deep in Ohio State’s zone with a pass that likely would have resulted in a touchdown, but the receiver dropped it.
The Buckeyes extended their lead to 20 with a field goal in the third.
Then the comeback ensued for Texas.
To start the fourth quarter, Manning was able to successfully connect with Wingo for a touchdown.
Hollywood Smothers, who led the way on the ground for Texas with 74 rushing yards, followed up with a rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, cutting Ohio State’s lead to six.
Ohio State had a chance to build the lead back to nine points, but Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter that gave the Longhorns a path to victory — and Manning was able to capitalize.
Texas, who will next face Texas-San Antonio this upcoming Saturday, marched down the field against a tired Buckeyes defense before Smothers punched it in the end zone to tie the game with less than a minute to go.
Kicker Gianni Spetic nailed the extra point to give Texas their first lead.
The Longhorns’ defense was able to stave off Ohio State during their final drive to seal the win and move to 2-0 on the season.
“I was so proud of our guys. It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to win, that’s what good teams do,” Manning said in an on-field interview after the win.
Ohio State will looke to bounce back when it returns home to play Kent State this upcoming Saturday.
As for Texas, they are set to face off against Texas-San Antonio the same day at 8 p.m. ET.
