Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns erased a 20-point halftime deficit and stunned top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday night in Austin, completing one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent college football memory.
The Longhorns, ranked No. 4, trailed 20-3 at halftime after managing just 97 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes. The deficit grew to 23-3 in the third quarter, and for three quarters Texas looked like anything but a contender against the top team in the country.
Texas opened the game with a fumble on its first offensive play, and Ohio State controlled the action from there. Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin repeatedly found wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who torched the Texas secondary and hauled in a 48-yard catch along the sideline late in the third quarter that appeared to put the game out of reach.
Then the game turned. Ohio State's offense stalled, the Longhorns' defense finally rose to the occasion, and Manning began making plays with his arm and his legs. His scrambling brought the crowd to its feet in the third quarter, and a touchdown run near the start of the fourth quarter cut the lead and gave Texas fans hope.
The Longhorns' fourth-quarter performance will be remembered for years, and it gave head coach Steve Sarkisian the kind of signature home win the program had been chasing. Texas spent roughly $40 million on its roster this season, and the rematch between two of college football's biggest spenders had been circled for a year.
«What it can do is this team can understand that we can overcome adversity, and we're going to get faced with more adversity,» Sarkisian said after the game. «Hopefully, this serves as a lesson that we can come back from a lot.»
For Manning, the night offered a measure of release after a season of enormous expectations. As he finished his postgame interview with ESPN, the quarterback sprinted toward the Texas student section, took pictures, donned a cowboy hat and sang with his teammates as coaches and players celebrated around him.
The scene on the field reflected the weight of the moment. Athletic director Chris Del Conte walked over to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, who was waiting to head toward the Texas locker room. Parents took pictures with their children on the field, and the celebration stretched well past the final whistle.
Ohio State's loss was a deflating one for a team that had controlled the game for three quarters. The Buckeyes could no longer convert on offense, and a worn-down defense allowed Texas to take advantage. Smith's brilliance was not enough to carry Ohio State to the finish.
The result raises the possibility of a rematch in the College Football Playoff, though nothing is guaranteed. What is certain is that Texas finally won a game with its back against the wall, and Sarkisian won a heavyweight fight at home with pressure mounting on the program to take the next step.
For a fan base tired of hearing the question of whether Texas is «back,» the answer on Saturday night was delivered on the field. The Longhorns took the regular-season step their supporters had been praying for, and they did it against the No. 1 team in the country.