Erasing a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit with an all-time avalanche of 21 unanswered points, No. 4 Texas shocked No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Saturday night before a crowd of over 100,000 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.For three quarters, the Buckeyes appeared in total command. Behind a stifling defensive effort and another virtuosic performance from Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State dictated the tempo on both sides of the ball. Smith anchored the aerial attack with eight receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown, repeatedly gashing the Longhorns' secondary with a pair of 43-yard catches to tilt the field into Texas territory.Quarterback Julian Sayin orchestrated the offense under heavy pressure, finishing 17-of-32 for 278 yards. Sayin repeatedly extended drives on third-and-long, connecting with Mason Williams for 23 yards early and finding Brandon Inniss for 19 yards on third-and-13.The Buckeyes delivered their most lethal blow late in the second quarter, courtesy of their defense. After a Texas miscue handed Ohio State possession at the Longhorns' 19-yard line with 49 seconds remaining, Sayin needed just three plays to strike. Facing heat up the middle, Sayin zipped a 19-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 10 seconds left, turning a critical takeaway into a demoralizing 20-3 halftime cushion.The Longhorns contained Ohio State's ground game to 94 yards, but the Buckeyes converted when it counted, leaning on Ja’Kobi Jackson for an 8-yard touchdown run. Paired with sharp execution inside the 20—converting four of five red-zone trips—Ohio State stretched the margin to 23-3 entering the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Buckeyes rattled Arch Manning from the jump, picking off the Texas quarterback and keeping him under 100 passing yards through three quarters.Julian Sayin Gets Outdone By Arch ManningOhio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws during the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThen the Longhorns flipped the script.Manning engineered a methodical 15-play, 91-yard march early in the fourth quarter, capping it with a 16-yard touchdown strike to Ryan Wingo to cut the deficit to 23-10. After the Texas defense forced a quick stop, the Longhorns marched right back into striking range. Hollywood Smothers punched into the end zone from 1 yard out with 7:14 remaining, slashing Ohio State's lead to 23-17 and sending DKR into a frenzy.Ohio State drove to the Texas 11-yard line looking to ice the game, but Connor Hawkins pushed a 28-yard field goal wide right with 3:50 remaining.Taking over at their own 28-yard line with no timeouts, Texas mounted a surgical 72-yard response. Raleek Brown broke loose for an explosive carry across midfield, Smothers converted a high-stakes third-and-2, and Manning hit Emmett Mosley V (5 catches, 67 yards) over the middle to set up first-and-goal.Following an agonizing replay review on second down that ruled Smothers down inches shy of the goal line with 37 seconds left, Steve Sarkisian kept the ball on the ground. On third-and-goal, Smothers surged through the interior front, breaking the plane with 25 seconds remaining. Gianni Spetic drilled the extra point to give Texas its first lead of the night at 24-23.Ohio State took over at its own 25 with no timeouts, but an immediate holding penalty pushed the Buckeyes back to their own 15. After a 5-yard checkdown to Devin McCuin burned precious seconds down to 0:06, Sayin launched a final heave toward Brandon Inniss. Defensive back Graceson Littleton soared in front of the pass at the Texas 40-yard line, securing the walk-off interception as zeroes hit the clock.It was Texas' biggest comeback win since 2007. Ohio State returns home to play Kent State next Saturday, while Texas welcomes UTSA to try to remain unbeaten.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow