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AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: Hollywood Smothers #2 of the Texas Longhorns scores a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Alex Slitz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
AUSTIN \u2014 Hard enough to beat the No. 1 team in the nation when you don\u2019t spot them 10 points before you so much as break a sweat, as\u00a0Texas<\/a> did Saturday before a crowd of 105,044 Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium, the third-largest in school history.<\/p>\n The result is that you\u2019re forced to do something out of the ordinary, maybe even historic.<\/p>\n Believe it or not, Arch Manning and the Longhorns had it in them, rallying from a 20-point deficit going into the fourth quarter for a 24-23 win that redefined Texas\u2019 hopes, which had been all but lost through three quarters.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hollywood Smothers\u2019 leap from the 1-yard line with 25 seconds left in the game gave Texas its first win over a No. 1 team in 18 years.<\/p>\n The Longhorns might have awakened some echoes a couple years older, as well.<\/p>\n Herewith, five takeaways from Texas\u2019 biggest win of the decade:<\/p>\n Sark\u2019s slow start, fast finish<\/p>\n Steve Sarkisian updated his signature win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2023 with an even better one against Ohio State, but it didn\u2019t start out very promising. Texas’ first two possessions ended with a fumble on the game’s first play, giving Ohio State the ball in the red zone, and an interception by the Buckeyes’ Jaylen McClain, who, until the ball popped out of Cam Coleman’s hands, looked to be beaten for a 40-yard gain.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Before it was over,\u00a0Sark went for it on fourth down twice from his side of the field, once on a fourth-and-9, and came up with touchdowns on both drives.<\/p>\n Sark, who was 0-2 against Ryan Day going into the game, outwitted his counterpart, who eschewed a field goal attempt that would have put the game out of reach. Day also made the mistake of letting Texas bleed the clock on its winning drive.<\/p>\n AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after a win against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Alex Slitz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Fourth-quarter Arch<\/p>\n In Ohio State\u2019s 14-7 win over Texas last year, Arch Manning went into the fourth quarter with just 38 yards passing, leading to a narrative that Julian Sayin outplayed him badly. The final numbers said otherwise and Saturday, as well.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Manning passed for 132 yards in the fourth quarter last year, and he made a similar run Saturday. After passing for 76 yards in the first three quarters, he finished with 177 in Texas\u2019 comeback win.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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