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Texas turned a 23-3 fourth-quarter deficit into one of the biggest wins in program history Saturday night, scoring 21 unanswered points to beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 in Austin.
The comeback was not simply dramatic. Texas Athletics says it matched the Longhorns’ second-largest fourth-quarter comeback and made Texas the first team in the last 22 seasons to erase a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit against an AP No. 1 team. Before Saturday, AP No. 1 teams had been 197-0 since 2004 when leading by at least 20 points in the fourth quarter.
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How Texas flipped the fourth quarter
Ohio State led 20-3 after three quarters and added a field goal early in the fourth. Texas finally broke through when Arch Manning found Ryan Wingo for a 3-yard touchdown, starting a 21-0 run.
Hollywood Smothers then scored on a 1-yard run with 7:14 left, cutting the deficit to six. With 25 seconds remaining, Smothers scored again from a yard out to tie the game 23-23, and Gianni Spetic made the extra point for the winning margin.
Manning finished 23-of-37 for 196 yards and a touchdown. His final quarter was his best stretch: 8-of-11 for 83 yards and the scoring pass that began the rally.
The defense gave Texas a chance to finish it
The comeback required more than three scoring drives. Texas held Ohio State scoreless in the fourth quarter and outgained the Buckeyes 239-132 in the second half. The Longhorns also limited Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin to five completions on 16 second-half attempts and intercepted him once.
That combination changed the game’s rhythm. Ohio State had controlled the first three quarters, but once Texas began sustaining drives, the Buckeyes could not answer with the possession that would have stopped the comeback.
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Why the comeback matters beyond one Saturday
Texas improved to 2-0 and earned its first victory over an AP No. 1 team since beating SMU in 1950. The 105,044 announced crowd was the third-largest in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium history.
The result also changes the early-season conversation around both teams. Texas entered the night ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and now owns the most visible win of the young season. Ohio State, meanwhile, leaves Austin 1-1 after failing to score in the final quarter.
The most important point for Texas is how the win happened. A team can survive a close game through one break or one late mistake. Texas had to create an entire quarter of winning football after being outplayed for three quarters. The offense found touchdowns, the defense forced stops and the final drive ended with Smothers finishing the comeback.
What comes next
Texas is scheduled to host UTSA on Sept. 19. Ohio State will have to regroup after losing a game it led by 20 points in the fourth quarter.
For SportsyVibe, this is the kind of result that deserves more than a scoreboard recap. The 24-23 final will be remembered because of the scale of the comeback: Texas went from three points through three quarters to 21 points in the fourth, against the nation’s top-ranked team, and closed the game with three straight touchdown drives.
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Editorial image: generic football stadium photography, not from the Texas–Ohio State game. Photo by Myron Mott via Unsplash.