AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning and No. 4 Texas stole a 24-23 victory from No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday night, rallying from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to win it on Hollywood Smothers’ 1-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left.
The Longhorns' 20-point comeback in the fourth quarter is the largest fourth-quarter rally to win against an AP No. 1 team, according to Sportradar.
The Buckeyes had appeared in complete control after a dominant three quarters and led 23-3.
But Texas (2-0) rallied behind Manning, whose touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo early in the fourth started the comeback. Smothers scored on a 1-yard run with 7:14 to play before Ohio State (1-1) drove for what could have been a clinching field goal.
Connor Hawkins, who had earlier made three field goals, missed from 45 yards, setting up Texas’ winning drive.
“When that happened, I knew it was our time,” Manning said. “I’m really proud of the way we responded. We could have let that thing go. It’s a testament to our coaches and our culture.”
The gritty win could also give Texas a claim at No. 1.
The victory is arguably the biggest regular-season win in six seasons for coach Steve Sarkisian, and certainly for Manning, who had struggled to live up to Heisman Trophy expectations early in his career.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team with the heart, the desire and the fight,” Sarkisian said.
Manning’s legs and passing earned several first downs as the Longhorns steadily clawed back and beat the Buckeyes for the first time in three tries over the past three seasons. Manning finished with 196 yards passing and completed 11 of his final 15 passes.
“We just had to get something going, I always knew we were going to be in it in the end," Manning said. “I'm so glad we won.”
The Buckeyes lost a game they had controlled.
Julian Sayin passed for 278 yards and Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. But the offense produced just a single field goal after halftime, and Sayin’s desperation pass on the final play was intercepted before Texas players rushed on the field to celebrate the comeback.
“I felt, you know, we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish,” Ohio State coach Jason Day said. "So we got to go back and figure out why that was.”
The matchup was the third time in three seasons the Longhorns and Buckeyes have played, including the playoffs in the 2024 season. They could meet again.
Ohio State's path to the postseason got a little harder with the loss as the Buckeyes' margin for error narrowed. Texas missed the postseason at 9-3 last year, including a loss to Ohio State.
“I told Ryan after the game, I hope to see you again,” Sarkisian said.
Ohio State: Smith was having the kind of game the Buckeyes' All-American had missed in his two previous matchups with the Longhorns. But key passes his way were covered or misfired late as the Longhorns contained him in the second half.
“I had a couple throws that should have been completions," Sayin said.
Texas: The Longhorns were nearly buried by early dropped passes, missed throws and turnovers in what looked like a primetime flop. Wingo's fourth-quarter touchdown catch made up for a wide open drop in a frustrating first half for the Longhorns.
Ohio State hosts Kent State on Sept. 19.
Texas hosts UTSA on Sept. 19.
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
Texas running back Hollywood Smothers, top center, dives for the winning touchdown against Ohio State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Texas players celebrate their win over Ohio State in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Oklahoma State pulled off the biggest upset of the early college football season, taking down No. 6 Oregon to end a 12-game losing streak.
Top-ranked Ohio State at No. 4 Texas topped it by living up to the hype of two national title contenders squaring off — once the Longhorns snapped out of their doldrums.
Down 20 in the third quarter, Arch Manning led Texas to three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the Longhorns pulled out a 24-23 win on Hollywood Smothers' 1-yard TD with 25 seconds left on Saturday night.
“It wasn't very pretty, but we won,” said Manning, who threw for 196 yards and a touchdown with an interception. “That's what good teams do.”
The Longhorns’ 20-point comeback in the fourth quarter is the largest fourth-quarter rally to win against an AP No. 1 team, according to Sportradar.
They didn't look very good early.
Texas (2-0) turned it over on its first two possessions and trailed 20-3 at halftime. The game seemed all but over the way the Buckeyes (1-1) were manhandling the Longhorns.
Manning brought Texas back with a Heisman Trophy-boosting performance.
Harassed through the first three quarters, Manning hit Ryan Wingo for a 3-yard touchdown and led the Longhorns to Smothers' 1-yard scoring dive that cut Ohio State's lead to six.
Ohio State answered with a drive of its own, but Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field goal wide right, giving Texas a chance. Manning led the Longhorns down the field again on a drive punctuated by Smothers' dive over the pile.
The Buckeyes’ blowup capped a tough day for the Big 10. The league went 2-6 in Power Four nonconference games, with Iowa and Michigan the only winners.
There will be a new No. 1 in the next AP Top 25. Could Texas leapfrog to the top after this gutsy comeback?
Oklahoma State was given no shot at beating No. 6 Oregon, not after losing at Tulsa last week and getting thumped by 66 points by the Ducks last season.
The Cowboys were seemingly the only ones who believed and they did it on a wild Saturday in Stillwater, beating Oregon 39-31 in the first major upset of the college football season.
Cowboys fans poured onto the field — and tossed one of the goalposts into a nearby pond — to celebrate a memorable first win for coach Eric Morris.
“I don’t know if I can top this,” Morris told ESPN after the game. “I’m not going to retire, but I might think about it tonight.”
Everything appeared to be against the Cowboys (1-1).
They had lost 21 straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and 12 straight overall spanning two seasons, their only win against FCS Tennessee Martin in the 2025 opener. Oklahoma State was blown out 69-3 by Oregon last season, was coming off a lackluster 24-10 loss to Tulsa and entered Saturday’s game as a 23 1/2-point underdog.
The Cowboys never flinched even after a long weather delay, stifling Oregon’s vaunted offense while racking up 554 total yards.
Drew Mestemaker overcame two interceptions on tipped passes to throw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, adding a pinballing 10-yard TD run that put the Cowboys up 36-31 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
“This is the best moment of my life, honestly,” Mestemaker said. “Not even close.”
No extra second on the clock, no problem for Michigan.
Bouncing back from a controversial win over Western Michigan, the Wolverines knocked off No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 to end a week of turmoil.
Michigan was the butt of jokes and dropped out of the AP Top 25 following its 13-12 win over Western Michigan on a Hail Mary after the officials put a second back on the clock.
The Wolverines (2-0) shook off the tumult and focused on the Sooners, shutting down their offense and clinching the win with a late interception.
“Everything that we were looking for in this game was missing last week,” Michigan first-year coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Robbed of a win last week, Western Michigan got one that counted on Saturday, taking down Monmouth 49-14.
Boise State found itself in a deep hole against Memphis by giving up one big play after another.
Once the Broncos settled in, they ran away from the Tigers for a 38-20 win in what could be a crucial game in the race for a Group of Six spot in the College Football Playoff.
Playing its first home game as a Pac-12 member, Boise State looked shellshocked as Memphis jumped out to a 17-3 lead. The Broncos, who gave then-No. 2 Oregon all it could handle in a loss last week, responded by overpowering the Tigers, finishing with 578 yards.
Dylan Riley had 206 of Boise State's 357 yards rushing in a win that could be huge if the Broncos manage to win the Pac-12 title.
Oregon State was in position to give the re-formed Pac-12 another massive win, taking a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter against No. 13 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders rallied with two touchdowns in the final 6 1/2 minutes and won 35-27.
Ohio State teammates Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith have put themselves in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and so far Miami QB Darian Mensah has looked every bit a favorite.
Don't overlook SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings.
A year after throwing for over 3,600 yards, Jennings has put up big numbers through two games for the 17th-ranked Mustangs.
The fifth-year quarterback overcame two interceptions to throw for a career-best 430 yards and three touchdowns in last week's 27-24 win over Florida State. Jennings followed that up by throwing for 337 yards and a career-high five touchdowns while playing just the first half in a 56-10 victory over UC Davis.
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) runs the ball in the first half the NCAA college football game against Oregon in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mitch Alcala)
