BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Arch Manning — like his grandfather and uncle before him — has a Death Valley comeback story to tell.
Manning found Raleek Brown for a 4-yard touchdown pass along the left sideline with 3 seconds left, and No. 8 Texas escaped Tiger Stadium with a 22-21 victory over No. 24 LSU on Saturday night.
The dramatic win in the state where Manning was raised — and in a stadium where he attended games as a kid — kept Texas (8-2, 5-2 SEC)
firmly in contention for a College Football Playoff spot while virtually eliminating LSU (6-4, 3-4).
Manning, who also rushed for an early score, was an unspectacular 19-of-35 passing for 174 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. But he looked made for the moment when Texas began its final drive on its own 42, down 21-16, with 2:19 left.
He converted three third downs — one with a 5-yard pass and two with his legs — to set up his decisive scoring strike into the end zone near where his celebrating parents, Cooper and Ellen, were sitting.
Sam Leavitt passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns to Jackson Harris, but like Manning was intercepted three times. LSU also will rue a missed 38-yard field goal at the end of the first half, which ended with the Tigers holding a 14-10 lead.
In 1968, Manning's grandfather, Archie, led Mississippi to a comeback victory at Tiger Stadium. So did his uncle, Eli, in 2001. For Texas to win, a third generation Manning was going to have to follow suit after LSU running back Dilin Jones' weaving, 44-yard scoring run gave the Tigers a 21-10 lead with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Field goals of 41 and 50 yards by Texas kicker Gianni Spetic cut LSU’s lead to 21-16.
Texas: The Longhorns were outgained 366-273, but their defense got stops when needed down the stretch to cap a performance highlighted by three takeaways and three sacks.
LSU: After fading badly in the fourth quarter of their loss to Alabama a week earlier, the Tigers again went quiet on offense in the final period — giving Manning one too many chances. It was also the second straight loss for LSU despite significantly outgaining its opponent. Leavitt, meanwhile, has thrown 12 interceptions in 10 games.
Texas hosts Arkansas next Saturday.
LSU visits No. 9 Tennessee next Saturday.
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