During an epic rematch with top-ranked Ohio State, Arch Manning exorcised his demons in a clutch comeback performance worthy of his famous football lineage.
The Texas quarterback rallied the fourth-ranked Longhorns to a 24-23 victory Saturday over the Buckeyes, who had led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
“We couldn’t lose to them again,” said Manning, who was lackluster in a season-opening loss to Ohio State last year. “I had nightmares about our game last year. I’m glad to get a win tonight and have a good night in Austin.”
that's what you call Texas Fight 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/jIXpb03SDo
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2026
Manning completed 23 of 37 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, and his two biggest throws came on fourth down.
Trailing by 20 with 2:21 left in the third quarter, the Longhorns went for it on fourth and 9 from their 42. Manning scrambled and connected with Emaree Winston for a 9-yard completion.
After a 3-yard TD pass from Manning to Ryan Wingo cut the lead to 23-10, Texas faced a fourth and 6 from its 32 with 11:45 left in the game.
Perfectly placed🤘 pic.twitter.com/c9bTQ5IjLy
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 13, 2026
Manning completed a 12-yard pass to Emmett Mosley for the first down. Nine plays later, Hollywood Smothers scored on a 1-yard run to cut Ohio State’s lead to 23-17.
The Buckeyes tried to answer, but an eight-play, 47-yard drive ended with a 45-yard missed field goal by Connor Hawkins.
The Longhorns then capped the scoring with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with another 1-yard TD run by Smothers with 25 seconds left.
Hollywood. Wow. pic.twitter.com/IKYGKQ5PF7
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 13, 2026
But the catalyst was Manning, the third-generation quarterback who is the grandson of Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl winners Eli and Peyton Manning.
“I’m so proud of our guys in all three phases,” Manning said after the Longhorns’ biggest comeback in 19 years. “It wasn’t very pretty, but we found a way to win. That’s what good teams do.
“Just felt good. We got a bunch of good players. A lot of leaders. This was a fun night.”
Ohio State fell despite a Heisman Trophy-worthy performance by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught eight passes for 164 yards and a TD.
WHO ELSE BUT JEREMIAH 🗣️
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 13, 2026
Buckeyes go up 3 possessions. pic.twitter.com/9VdBLh3gba
After struggling against Ohio State in last year’s opener, Manning seemed to enter with some momentum from the Longhorns’ Week 1 victory over Texas State.
But the performance didn’t carry over into Saturday as Manning’s first pass immediately led to a fumble by running back Raleek Brown. Manning’s second pass led to an interception as Cam Coleman lost the ball while attempting a diving catch on a deep throw. The ball bounced up and into the arms of Jaylen McClain, who had been beaten on the play.
In the second quarter, Manning threw to a wide-open Wingo, who dropped what could have been an easy touchdown. Manning also missed some open receivers as he failed to complete his first six pass attempts of longer than 15 yards.
Sep 12, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (2) tackles Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But by the end of the game, he was in rhythm and showing why some are considering him as a candidate to be the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
“The first half, there’s a couple of big plays that we don’t make,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I thought that got into his psyche a little bit in the first half, and he started seeing ghosts.
“I thought where he got back into his rhythm was he just went back to playing and stopped maybe overanalyzing and trying to be so perfect. He was willing to check the ball down and willing to use his legs. I thought that was part of the driving force was his grit started it. And then the running backs’ grit, the receivers’ grit started working together. But I just thought it was with him kind of saying screw it. Let’s just go back to letting it rip, and I’m going to trust these guys to make plays.”
HORNS WIN, BABY 🤘 pic.twitter.com/I0rvwtkPcv
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2026
