No. 4 Texas rallied from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23, as Arch Manning engineered three late touchdown drives capped by Hollywood Smothers` 1-yard score with 25 seconds left.
Arch Manning and No. 4 Texas pulled off the largest comeback against a No. 1 team in nearly four decades on Saturday night, rallying from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 in Austin.
Hollywood Smothers scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left to complete the turnaround. Ohio State had controlled the game for three quarters, building a 23-3 lead behind quarterback Julian Sayin, who passed for 278 yards, and receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
A fourth quarter for the ages
Manning, who threw for just 60 yards in the first half and was booed by the home crowd earlier in the night, completed 11 of his final 15 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Texas scored on three consecutive drives of 12 plays or more, covering 91, 72 and 73 yards. The Longhorns ran 40 plays on those possessions and held the ball for more than 10 minutes in the fourth quarter.
The comeback began with Manning's touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo early in the fourth quarter. Smothers scored from a yard out with 7:14 remaining to cut the lead to six. Ohio State kicker Connor Hawkins, who had made three field goals, then missed from 45 yards with 4:16 to play, giving Texas the opening it needed.
Manning took the ball at his own 27-yard line needing a touchdown. Twelve plays and 73 yards later, he found Emmett Mosley V for 19 yards to the Ohio State 1, setting up Smothers' winning score two plays later. Manning finished with 196 passing yards.
History in the making
According to CBS Sports research, teams trailing an AP No. 1 by 17 points or more had been 0-223 since 2003. No team had come back from 20 points down to beat a No. 1 since Washington State against UCLA in 1988. Ohio State had won 115 straight games when leading by 20.
It is the fourth-largest comeback in Texas history and the largest since 2007. The quarterbacks responsible for the three bigger ones, Vince Young and Colt McCoy, have their retired numbers displayed inside Darrell K Royal Stadium.
Redemption for Manning
The result stands as a signature win for both Manning and coach Steve Sarkisian, and it came a year after Texas lost 14-7 at Ohio State in a game Manning — dealing with first-half struggles — nearly brought back. Texas had also lost to the Buckeyes in each of the previous two seasons.
"I couldn't lose to them again. I had nightmares about that game last year," Manning said afterward.
Sarkisian pointed to the difficulties Manning endured the previous September. "I think him getting through that adversity last year helped him get through the adversity of tonight," he said. "Arch played like a man tonight, and that was really cool to see."
Ohio State's defense appeared worn down by the 92-degree Texas heat, producing just a single field goal after halftime. Sayin's desperation pass on the final play was intercepted before Texas players rushed the field to celebrate.
What’s next
Both teams return to action on Sept. 19, with Ohio State hosting Kent State and Texas hosting UTSA. The win may also give the Longhorns a claim to the No. 1 ranking as they enter SEC play with renewed belief.