AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning ran around, furiously, wildly. Looking for somebody, or looking for nobody. Lights flashed, fireworks exploded.He imagined the win against No. 1 Ohio State; he didn’t imagine it like this, coming back from down 20 points in the fourth quarter to win 24-23. He didn’t quite know what to do.For 378 days, the heir to the Manning throne hadn’t stopped thinking about last year’s 14-7 loss at Ohio State, the ugly performance that created a year’s worth of takes questioning if he could live up to the hype — or declaring he’d already failed to do so. He had nightmares about it. He had a second chance against the Buckeyes on Saturday night to avoid a repeat feeling.“I could not let that happen,” Manning saidThe man long presumed to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL Draft finally lived up to it on a big stage in the nick of time, setting the groundwork for a legitimate case to compete for a national championship and maybe a Heisman Trophy.Arch Manning has his moment in comeback win over Ohio StateChris VanniniTrailing 23-3, Manning completed 11 of his final 15 passes. That included a perfect out route pass to Ryan Wingo for the first touchdown of the final quarter. That included two fourth downs, either of which would’ve essentially clinched defeat if they’d fallen incomplete. That included two drops that would’ve made his numbers look even better.“Arch played like a man tonight,” coach Steve Sarkisian said.The second fourth-down throw came in the face of an Ohio State blitz, as Manning stood in the pocket and found receiver Emmett Mosley V down the middle for 12 yards. Nine plays later, Texas scored to make it 23-17.When Ohio State missed a 45-yard field goal with 4:16 left that would’ve put the game away, Manning was ready to put the ghosts of last year behind him for good.“That’s when I knew it was our time,” he said.Manning completed 4 of 5 passes on the final drive, finding Mosley for 19 yards down to the 1-yard line, setting up the winning score to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.And with that, Manning had his “Moment.” Maybe not a Heisman Moment, but something people can sink their teeth into when talking about Arch’s actual accomplishments.For as much hype and attention has come Manning’s way since he arrived on campus, he’d not fully had a signature play or win that built to something more. There was the touchdown run against a Michigan team without its head coach in a bowl game, but those were the lowest of stakes. He played great in beating No. 3 Texas A&M in last year’s regular-season finale, but it wasn’t enough as the Longhorns still missed the College Football Playoff.This win is different.This was the most-hyped quarterback prospect in a generation, and it was going to feel strange if he went through his college career without producing something truly of note.Arch Manning celebrated a signature moment with a comeback win over Ohio State. (Adam Cairns / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)Midway through this one, it looked to be the same old stuff. Manning hadn’t played badly, but he hadn’t played great, either. Maybe it would’ve felt different if star receiver Cam Coleman’s diving catch attempt hadn’t flukily popped up into an interception. Maybe it would’ve felt different if Wingo hadn’t dropped a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. But it happened, and Manning’s coach saw the impact of that, especially when boos rained down in the third quarter.“I thought that got into his psyche a little bit,” Sarkisian said. “He started, we say sometimes, seeing ghosts. Where he got back into his rhythm was when he just went back to playing and stopped overanalyzing, trying to be so perfect.”Ohio State played to limit big plays, like deep balls to Coleman. Sarkisian told his QB there wasn’t a 21-point play to be made and that they were in four-down territory for the rest of the way. It was on Manning to find the short and medium stuff, and in the second half, he did. Texas’ three touchdown drives each went for at least 12 plays and covered at least 72 yards.Now Manning has a win over the No. 1 team, Texas’ first such win in Austin since 1950. It was the program’s largest overall comeback since 2007 and its second-largest fourth-quarter comeback ever.It also gives Texas some margin for error. After missing the CFP with a 9-3 record last year, Sarkisian bemoaned that the Longhorns could’ve made it if they didn’t play the Buckeyes. Now here’s the flip side, the value of such a win going into a difficult SEC schedule.Yes, Manning has always faced extra pressure because of his last name, but that also comes with the job of being the Texas quarterback. Quinn Ewers faced all kinds of pressure and doubt from Texas fans, and he didn’t have a $3 million wide receiver (Coleman) to throw to. Ewers still got Texas to the CFP semifinals twice.Texas has to win. Manning has to win. It’s what the money’s for. It’s why he’s here. Perhaps this Ohio State victory can take some pressure off their backs.As the clock expired, Manning ran around as if something had been lifted.“It was all emotion,” he said afterward. “You dream of playing in games like this, hosting the No. 1 team at home. How about that, getting a win by one point? Let’s go, baby.”Now we’ll see just how high the new generation of Manning can go.Sep 13, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms