The Texas Longhorns needed something special from Arch Manning to avoid another loss to Ohio State.
They got it in the fourth quarter.
No. 4 Texas erased a 20-point deficit and stunned No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Saturday night at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, scoring 21 unanswered points in the final quarter. Manning helped lead three straight touchdown drives to finish the comeback, and the win gave him a place in Longhorns history that no other starting quarterback owns.
Texas Senior Associate AD for Communications John Bianco pointed out after the game that Manning is now 10-0 as a starter at DKR and has beaten three top-10 opponents there: No. 9 Vanderbilt, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 1 Ohio State.
More importantly, according to Bianco, no other Texas starting quarterback has ever beaten three top-10 teams at home over a career.
Arch Manning Makes Texas History With Ohio State Win
“Arch Manning is UNDEFEATED (10-0) as a starter at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, including wins over THREE top-10 teams (No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 9 Vanderbilt),” Bianco wrote on X. “He is the ONLY Longhorn starting QB to knock off THREE top-10 opponents at home in a career.”
The Ohio State win was easily the biggest of the three.
Texas trailed 23-3 entering the fourth quarter after struggling to generate anything consistently against the Buckeyes. Manning had thrown an interception, the Longhorns had managed only three points through three quarters and another loss to Ohio State appeared close to becoming reality.
Then Manning settled in.
He opened the fourth quarter by completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo, finishing a 15-play, 91-yard drive. Texas followed with a 13-play, 72-yard touchdown march before putting together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with Hollywood Smothers’ go-ahead 1-yard touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.
Manning finished 23-of-37 passing for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 24 rushing yards. He completed 8-of-11 passes for 83 yards and the touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Manning now has four career fourth-quarter comebacks.
Arch Manning Keeps Perfect Texas Home Record Alive
The latest win added Ohio State to a home résumé that already had two significant entries from 2025.
Manning threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in Texas’ 34-31 win over No. 9 Vanderbilt on Nov. 1. Less than a month later, Texas knocked off No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 at DKR, with Manning throwing a touchdown and sealing the win with a 35-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State required a much different kind of escape.
ESPN’s Dave Wilson reported that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian credited Manning’s “grit” for helping change the game after an ugly first half.
“You dream of playing in games like this, hosting the No. 1 team in the country at home,” Manning said after the win. “I mean, how about that? Getting a win? By one point? Let’s go, baby!”
Texas also became the first team since at least 2004 to erase a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit against an AP No. 1 team. The victory was the Longhorns’ first at home over the AP’s top-ranked team since beating SMU in 1950.
For Manning, though, the night also preserved something much more personal.
Ten starts at DKR. Ten wins. And now three of them have come against top-10 teams, something no Texas quarterback before him can claim, which is saying something.
Arch Manning Pulls Off Texas Longhorns First After Ohio State Win