By Adam Hawthorne, Editor In Chief
It is not every day that a college football team comes back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter against the best team in the country. However, that is exactly what happened on Sept. 12 in Austin, when No. 4 Texas beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Hollywood Smothers’ 1-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left. For a lot of people watching, the game went from a blowout to one of the craziest finishes of the season.
Going into the game, there was a lot of pressure on Texas. The Longhorns had lost to the Buckeyes in each of the past two seasons, including last year’s season opener. Many fans thought this game would go the same way, and for three quarters, it did.
“I knew it was going to be an exciting game, both programs are great and in games this early in the season anything can happen.” said senior Chai Raghaven.
The start of the game was rough for Texas. Quarterback Arch Manning’s first pass led to a fumble, and his second pass turned into an interception. Right before halftime, Julian Sayin threw a 19-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith to give Ohio State a 20-3 lead.
Not only was Ohio State winning, but they also looked like the better team all over the field. Smith was the biggest reason why, finishing with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, while Sayin threw for 278 yards. Ohio State led 23-3 after three quarters, and then did not score again.
“I’m not going to lie, I turned the game off after the third quarter and went to bed, I thought the game was over for sure. Coming back from a deficit that great to such a solid team is tough,” said Junior Aaryan Patel.
This is where everything changed. Manning threw a touchdown to Ryan Wingo to finish a 91-yard drive at the start of the fourth quarter. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian also decided to play aggressive, going for it on fourth down multiple times, including a fourth-and-9 from Texas’ own 42. Not everyone agreed with the risky calls while they were happening.
“Going for those fourth down plays fire me up when I’m watching the game. It’s so exciting to watch a team fight so hard to come back for the win,” said Senior Aiden Leung.
From there, Texas kept rolling. Smothers scored to cut the lead to 23-17, and then Ohio State missed a 45-yard field goal. The Longhorns drove 73 yards down the field, and Smothers scored again with 25 seconds left. Ohio State’s last pass was intercepted to end the game.
Manning finished strong after a bad first half, completing 11 of his last 15 throws and ending the night 23-of-37 for 195 yards. For people who had been doubting Manning, the second half changed a lot of minds.
“Manning’s performance was insane that second half, I’ve always been a fan of his and love to see him perform the way I think he should all the time,” said Senior Nirvaan Khoul.
This game was a big deal for more than just the final score. It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever against an AP No. 1 team, and it tied the all-time series between the two schools at 3-3. This shows just how rare this kind of comeback really is.
Now, people are split on what the game actually means. Some believe Texas is back to being a national title contender, while others think Ohio State simply let one slip away and is still the better team. “I’ll give it to Texas for their crazy comeback, but I still think Ohio State is the better team and will have a much better season, don’t count them out just yet,” said Senior Ryan Miller.
In conclusion, while Ohio State controlled almost the entire game, Texas showed that a game is never over until the clock hits zero. After losing to the Buckeyes twice in a row, the Longhorns finally got their win, and they did it in a way fans will remember for a long time.