Texas rallies from 20-point deficit to defeat Ohio State
The Texas Longhorns erased a 20-point halftime deficit to beat No. 1 Ohio State 23-3 in the fourth quarter, marking their first win over the top-ranked team this season.
Texas overcame a 20-point halftime deficit to defeat top-ranked Ohio State 23-3 on Saturday night in Austin. The Longhorns trailed 20-3 at the half after gaining just 97 yards of offense, but a surge in the fourth quarter produced 20 unanswered points. Quarterback Arch Manning led the comeback with a series of scrambles and a touchdown early in the final period.
Ohio State’s early lead was built on a 48-yard reception by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and a series of successful drives, but the Buckeyes were unable to score after the third quarter. Texas’ defense tightened, forcing turnovers and limiting Ohio State’s yardage in the second half.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian praised the team’s resilience, saying, "What it can do is this team can understand that we can overcome adversity, and we're going to get faced with more adversity. Hopefully, this serves as a lesson that we can come back from a lot."
The victory marked Texas’ first win over a No. 1 opponent this season and was highlighted as a potential turning point for the program.