Texas overturns 20-point deficit as College Football Playoff picture shifts
Texas defeated Ohio State 24–23 after trailing 23–3, while Michigan beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State defeated Oregon in a consequential Week 2.
Texas produced the defining result of college football’s second week, overturning a 23–3 deficit to defeat Ohio State 24–23 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
More than 100,000 spectators watched the Longhorns recover from a difficult first half in which Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith helped establish control. Texas scored 21 points in the fourth quarter across three drives spanning 40 plays and more than 14 minutes, according to Fox Sports.
Quarterback Arch Manning then led a 73-yard winning drive after Ohio State kicker Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt with 4:10 remaining. The drive ended when Hollywood Smothers scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Ohio State had 25 seconds to respond, but Sayin’s final pass was intercepted.
Sayin finished 17 of 32 for 278 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Manning completed 23 of 37 passes for a touchdown and an interception. Ohio State had won the previous two meetings between the teams.
Fox Sports described the victory as one of the biggest of Steve Sarkisian’s tenure at Texas. Michigan also beat Oklahoma at home, while Oklahoma State defeated Oregon, reshaping early College Football Playoff and conference-title projections. Those assessments remain provisional after only two weeks of the season.
