liveUpdated 2m agoArch Manning led a furious Longhorns comeback as they knocked off the No. 1 Buckeyes.The Athletic Live TeamSeptember 12, 2026 at 11:58 PM EDTTexas outscored Ohio State 21-0 in the fourth quarter. USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectTexas rallies to beat Ohio StateThe Texas Longhorns rallied to knock off No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 with a furious fourth quarter in Austin.The Buckeyes dominated the first half and led 23-3 after three pirots, but Arch Manning led three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to give the Longhorns the lead. Manning threw one touchdown pass in the final quarter, and Hollywood Smothers scored two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner with 30 seconds to play.Join our live chat or email live@theathletic.com to share your thoughts.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementBuckeyes went away from Smith Imagn ImagesOhio State's Jeremiah Smith is — arguably, I suppose — the best player in the country, and his final numbers back that up: eight catches, 164 yards and a touchdown. But he had zero receptions in the final 24 minutes and 40 seconds. That's something to Sunday-morning quarterback in the aftermath of the Buckeyes' collapse.Smothers was huge for Texas Imagn ImagesAs Texas went all-in financially on this roster, I thought Hollywood Smothers got a little overshadowed nationally compared to five-star receiver Cam Coleman and even the other transfer running back, Raleek Brown.I liked Smothers a lot at NC State, where he rushed for almost 1,000 yards last year. Tonight, he scored two touchdowns (including the game-winner) and rushed for a team-high 74 yards. His tandem with Brown looks like a very nice combination.Bad quarter for Buckeyes' defense Imagn ImagesLast year, Ohio State gave up a total of nine touchdown drives of 70+ yards all season, in 14 games — fewest in the country, per TruMedia.Texas had three tonight, all resulting in fourth-quarter TDs15 plays, 91 yards13 plays, 72 yards12 plays, 73 yardsThe good, bad and ugly for Manning ReutersArch Manning did not exactly quiet all the doubters today. His play was better than his stat line overall, as he was hurt by brutal first-half drops from Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo that could have resulted in touchdowns — with the former drop from Coleman resulting in a bizarre first-quarter interception.But Manning still made some bad decisions throughout that game, and his habit of putting too much zip on the ball cropped back up as well, dragging down his overall accuracy numbers. However, his cross-body throw on a desperate fourth-and-9 midway through the fourth quarter saved Texas, and he had several more impressive throws during the comeback as well, including his touchdown pass to Wingo.Overall, Manning finished 23-for-37 with 196 passing yards, the aforementioned touchdown and interception, and 38 sack-adjusted rushing yards. That’s a 62.2 completion rate, roughly in line with his average last year.Manning will never be a truly dominant college quarterback. But he just proved that he’s definitely good enough to be the focal point of this loaded Texas team without having to shoulder the entire load.Longhorns wore down Buckeyes ReutersArch Manning and the Texas offense completely wore out the Buckeyes to pull off the comeback. The last three offensive drives went 15 plays, 13 plays, 12 plays — all ending in touchdowns. After throwing just 7-of-14 for 60 yards in the 1st half, Manning completed 16-of-23 for 136 yards and a touchdown in the second half.Credit to the Texas defense for the halftime adjustments as well. Julian Sayin completed four of his last 15 pass attempts, with the final desperation heave getting picked off.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementBad look for SarkHave never seen a coach blow off the sideline reporter on live TV and Sark did it twice in one game. To quote Pete Carroll, what’s your deal?Buckeyes' mistake at the endI don't understand why Ohio State didn't let Texas score on the first running play at the goal line. The odds of the Buckeyes getting four stops in that situation are what, 10-15 percent at best?What are the odds of getting 40 yards with a minute left, a timeout in your pocket and Julian Sayin throwing to Jeremiah Smith? Certainly higher than that. That's a coaching decision I think Ryan Day would like back.What does this mean for Buckeyes? Imagn Images If you believe some arguments from Texas, the Longhorns' loss at Ohio State knocked them out of the Playoff last year. Will tonight do the same for the Buckeyes? Ehhhh.The Buckeyes can easily shrug off one loss (at Indiana on Oct. 17?). I think the schedule is tricky enough to, perhaps, recover from another one, too, depending on what happens elsewhere. A trip to Iowa on Oct. 3 will be tough, and USC on Halloween is another potential pitfall. But Oregon looks weaker than expected, and I'll definitely take Ohio State over Illinois and Michigan at this point.So this game definitely dings Ohio State's chances, but I don't think it dooms Ryan Day by any stretch.I remain skeptical of Ryan Day's overall ability in these spots. He's good at not losing non-Michigan games he's supposed to win. He deserves credit for that. But in games where the opponent can match his team physically, I am unimpressed with his overall record. It feels like he's about .500 at best. But that 2024 title run looms large in how he's viewed around the sport.What does this do for Longhorns? Associated PressI wonder what a win like this can do for Texas moving forward. They say you grow together through shared adversity. There's a lot of new pieces in Austin. That was a brutal first half, and the Longhorns will end up in a euphoric locker room. The good news is they'll get UTSA next week before a trip to Tennessee.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementWelcome to chaos world, 2026 Big Ten!Today in the Big Ten:Michigan bounces back from WMU to upset Oklahoma 17-10Oregon loses 39-31 to Oklahoma State, who lost to Tulsa last weekOhio State surrenders a 20-point lead to fall 24-23 to TexasIowa escapes unranked Iowa State 16-13 in a late thrillerUSC has started down 3-0 to LouisianaRedemption for Arch Manning and Sark? Texas stuns Ohio State with 20-point comeback AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning had his moment, Steve Sarkisian earned that elusive, validating victory against another super heavyweight program and Texas beat a top-ranked team at home for the first time in 76 years with a 21-point fourth-quarter rally.