AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning and Texas looked done. And now they are No. 1.
The Longhorns trailed Ohio State 23-3 and looked listless after turnovers, dropped passes and poor play for three quarters. Then came a history-making rally for a wild, 24-23 victory that shook up the rankings, revived Manning's Heisman Trophy prospects and earned the quarterback and the entire program a boost of respect for the grit of the comeback.
Texas scored 21 points
in the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever against an AP No. 1, according to Sportradar. A look at how it happened:
Texas went for it on fourth down at the Ohio State 41 in the second quarter trailing 13-3. Disaster. Needing just a yard, instead a reverse to Ryan Wingo lost 10 yards to set up a Buckeyes touchdown. The bad taste of that play lingered when the Longhorns faced a 4th and 9 at their own 42 yard line late in the third quarter.
Easy choice for coach Steve Sarkisian, really. Texas converted the first down on Manning's pass to Emaree Winston, keeping alive a monster 15-play, 91-yard drive capped by the Longhorns' first touchdown on Manning's pass to Wingo to make it 23-10.
Texas faced a 4th-and-6 on its own 32 on the next possession. Same decision, same result. Manning this time connected with Emmet Mosley V and the Longhorns drove to a Hollywood Smothers touchdown that cut the deficit to 23-17.
"That’s how losers think,” Sarkisian said of the punt option. “Winners win, baby. You got to go for it… They didn’t hire me to keep it close. They hired me to win.”
Texas pays Sarkisian about $11 million per year to make those sorts of decisions.
The first two Texas possessions of the game were giveaways. Raleek Brown fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Cam Coleman's diving catch turned into a fluke interception. But fortunes turned.
Texas' first touchdown drive almost never happened. Ryan Niblett muffed a punt deep inside Texas territory but the Longhorns recovered it. Later in the drive, Mosley fumbled at the Ohio State 12 but Coleman was right there to fall on it. Two plays later, Wingo, who dropped a wide open touchdown pass in the first half, held on for Texas' first TD.
And one play before Smothers scored Texas' final touchdown, he fumbled on the Ohio State 1. It was recovered by Brown, the same player who had fumbled on the first play. Smothers scored on the next play.
Outplayed by Ohio State's Julian Sayin and frustrated by misfires, Manning came alive late in the third quarter. The first two plays of the first touchdown drive started with Manning scrambling for 18 yards.
On the first run, Manning took a big hit from Ohio State's Jay Timmons on the Ohio State sideline. His seven-yard run would put Texas on the Ohio State 5 before the touchdown pass to Wingo.
“His grit started it," Sarkisian said. "It was him kind of saying, ‘Screw it, let’s just go make plays.’”
Sayin, a Heisman finalist last season, and Smith shredded Texas for three quarters. Smith had eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown and was making a primetime Heisman statement of his own. Texas shut him down in the fourth quarter with no catches.
Buckeyes' kicker Connor Hawkins transferred from Baylor and was solid on field goals of 26, 30 and 48 yards. But he badly missed his final attempt from 45 that could have put the game away.
“When that happened. I knew it was our time,” Manning said.
Now Texas gets real attention as national title contenders. The Longhorns started last season at No. 1 but a season-opening loss at Ohio State was the beginning of a 9-3 finish. Texas missed the College Football Playoff.
The Longhorns still have to go through their Southeastern Conference schedule that starts with a trip to No. 15 Tennessee on Sept. 26.
“This was one win win, it doesn’t mean its worth four, or five, or six or seven,” Sarkisian said. “Have you seen the rest of our schedule? We’ve got some really good teams coming down the pike. But hopefully this pays dividends for us.”
Texas and Ohio State have played three times in the last three seasons and the playoff structure could set up a rematch. Sarkisian said he told Ohio State coach Ryan Day he's looking forward to it.
“I told Ryan, I hope we see you again,” Sarkisian said.
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