With a pit stop upcoming, the Texas football team remained in the race for the Southeastern Conference championship.
After clearing the concussion protocol Friday, Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw three touchdowns Saturday in No. 20 Texas’ 34-31 beating of No. 9 Vanderbilt at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Texas improved to 4-1 in SEC play while the Commodores picked up their second tally in the loss column.
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Six teams — Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Texas — entered Week 10 with one loss or fewer in conference play.
GOLDEN: How the Longhorns landed a first-quarter knock out of Vanderbilt
Texas (7-2) has a bye next weekend. The Longhorns then close out the regular season with a trip to No. 5 Georgia and home games against Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M.
Texas needed to survive overtime challenges from Kentucky and Mississippi State the past two weeks, and it did not appear like an announced crowd of 102,338 would have to witness as much drama on Saturday. However, Texas built a 24-point lead in the second half only to have Vanderbilt trim that lead to three points with 33 seconds left. Following a late touchdown, however, Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2) was unable to jump on an onside kick and Texas ran out the clock.
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Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) runs out of a tackle from Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Langston Patterson (10) to run the ball in for a touchdown on the first play of the game as the Longhorns take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Nov. 1, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Led by Ryan Wingo, Texas gets off to a fast start
Back at DKR for the first time in 42 days, Texas opened Saturday with a bang. Texas had totaled just seven points in the first quarters of its first five games against Power Four competition, but the Longhorns scored 17 points before the firing of Smokey the Cannon was used to signal that 15 minutes had ticked off the clock.
On the game’s first snap, Texas receiver Ryan Wingo took a short pass from Manning, slipped away from a Vanderbilt linebacker and sprinted 75 yards into the end zone. Wingo’s score came one week after his 60-yard gain on UT’s first offensive snap set up a teammate’s touchdown. Texas last scored within a game’s first minute when Xavier Worthy opened the 2021 Red River Rivalry game with a 75-yard touchdown catch against Oklahoma.
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Two minutes after the touchdown scored by Wingo, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons forced a Diego Pavia fumble that he also recovered. That led to a 39-yard field goal for the Longhorns. With 2:11 left in the first quarter, UT then added a 6-yard touchdown pass from Manning to CJ Baxter Jr.
Texas ended the first quarter with a 17-0 lead. Vanderbilt scored 10 points in the second quarter, but that offensive effort was partially offset by UT running back Quintervion Wisner’s 4-yard touchdown run.
Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) dives for a touchdown during the game against Vanderbilt at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Longhorns pull away from Vanderbilt after halftime
Scoring with 11Â seconds left in the second quarter gave Vanderbilt a boost ahead of the halftime break. That momentum, however, did not carry over into the second half.
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Vanderbilt opened the third quarter with the ball, but Pavia threw two incomplete passes before he was sacked for the fourth time. Texas had Vanderbilt’s punt downed at its 7-yard line before Manning directed a 11-play scoring drive that was capped by his 6-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Emmett Mosley V. Texas picked up minimal yardage on the three run plays it called on its first drive of the second half, but Manning completed seven of his eight pass attempts.
That 93-yard drive was UT’s longest of the season.
More: If Longhorns don’t reach CFP, they will play in one of these bowl games
Manning finished with 328 yards while completing 25 of his 33 passes. He was not sacked behind a retooled offensive line that shifted center Cole Hutson to left guard following a two-week injury absence. Wingo, who left the game in the first half with an injury, finished with 89 receiving yards while Mosley had a team-high seven catches.
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Defensively, Texas kept the heat on Pavia throughout Saturday’s game. Pavia accounted for 408 yards of offense and four touchdowns, but the Heisman Trophy contender was sacked six times. His first-quarter fumble also turned out to be a pivotal play.
Texas Longhorns fans cheer during the game against Vanderbilt at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Up next: Longhorns to get some rest before Georgia trip
Due to its second bye of the season, Texas gets the next week off. The Longhorns will return to the field on Nov. 15 when it travels to play Georgia.
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More: See the best game day photos from Texas’ win over Vanderbilt
Texas owns a 4-3 lead in its all-time series against Georgia, which has never featured a game in Athens. Georgia beat Texas twice last year, and one of those wins was recorded in the SEC championship game.