No. 4 Texas erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 Saturday night at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Arch Manning finished 23 of 37 for 196 yards and a touchdown, while Hollywood Smothers rushed for 74 yards and two scores. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards, and Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown in the Buckeyes’ 23-point performance through three quarters.
Ohio State led 23-3 entering the fourth before Texas scored three unanswered touchdowns. Manning connected with Ryan Wingo for a 3-yard score, then Smothers scored on two 1-yard runs, including the go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds remaining. Ohio State had a chance to answer, but Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal with 4:16 left, and Sayin’s final pass was intercepted. The comeback was the largest fourth-quarter rally against an AP No. 1 team.
The result marked Texas’ first victory over Ohio State in three seasons and improved the Longhorns to 2-0. Ohio State fell to 1-1 after scoring only three points in the second half. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian credited his team’s goal-line execution after the game, saying, “To be able to get into it on two different drives and put the ball in the end zone, that was gratifying.”
Both teams return to action Sept. 19. Texas will host UTSA at 7 p.m. CT at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, while Ohio State will return to Columbus to host Kent State at noon ET at Ohio Stadium.
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