Texas, Arch Manning stun Ohio State with incredible fourth-quarter comeback

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.

Manning’s legs and passing earned several first downs as the Longhorns steadily clawed back and beat the Buckeyes for the first time in three tries over the past three seasons. He completed 11 of his final 15 passes.

“We just had to get something going, I always knew we were going to be in it in the end,” Manning told reporters after the victory. “I’m so glad we won.”

Ohio State had a chance to build the lead back to nine points, but Connor Hawkins, who previously made three field goals, 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.

“When that happened, I knew it was our time,” Manning said. “I’m really proud of the way we responded. We could have let that thing go. It’s a testament to our coaches and our culture.”

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.

“I felt, you know, we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “So we got to go back and figure out why that was.”

The gritty win could also give Texas a claim at No. 1.

The victory is arguably the biggest regular-season win in six seasons for coach Steve Sarkisian, and certainly for Manning, who had struggled to live up to Heisman Trophy expectations early in his career.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team with the heart, the desire and the fight,” Sarkisian said.

The Longhorns’ defense was able to stave off Ohio State — who will look to bounce back when it returns to host Kent State this upcoming Saturday — 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 victory.

— with AP