Texas Rally Over Ohio State Delivers the No. 1 Spot

No. 4 Texas beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Saturday after a 20-point fourth-quarter hole in Austin. Hollywood Smothers scored from a yard out with 25 seconds left, and Gianni Spetic’s kick finished a 21-0 closing run.

Matthew McConaughey, a Longhorns fan, posted three words on X: “Belief. Backbone. Heart.” Those words now sit on a result that ended a 197-0 run for AP No. 1 teams and, by Sunday, put Texas at No. 1 in both major polls.

A 197-0 Streak Ends on a Missed Kick

Ohio State led 23-3 after Connor Hawkins’ 48-yard field goal at 8:09 of the third quarter. AP No. 1 teams had been 197-0 when leading by 20 in the fourth since 2004, Texas Athletics said. Sportradar logged the rally as the largest fourth-quarter comeback to win against an AP No. 1.

It was also Texas’ first home win over an AP No. 1 since SMU on Nov. 4, 1950, and the program’s second-largest fourth-quarter comeback, last matched on Nov. 3, 2007, against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns blanked a top-ranked opponent in the fourth quarter for the first time since Oct. 12, 1963.

THE NIGHT IN FOUR MARKS

• The crowd: 105,044 filled Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the third-largest house there.
• The hole: Texas trailed 23-3, then scored on three straight touchdown drives and allowed zero points in the fourth.
• The kick: Hawkins, who had made from 26, 30 and 48 yards, missed a 45-yarder wide left with 4:16 left.
• The yards: Ohio State still outgained Texas 372-336 for the night; Texas won the second half 239-132.

Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards and a 19-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith, who finished with 164 receiving yards. None of that showed up on the last 15 minutes of the scoreboard.

Texas Scored on Three Long Fourth-Quarter Drives

Arch Manning, the Texas quarterback, was quiet until the fourth, then went 8-for-11 for 83 yards in that quarter and finished 23-of-37 for 195 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Steve Sarkisian, the Texas coach, said Manning’s grit started the rally. Texas converted 2-of-3 fourth downs; Ohio State went 0-for-1.

THE 21-0 CLOSING RUN

Manning said he knew it was Texas’ time after Hawkins missed. “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,” he said. Sarkisian went for it on fourth down in the second half rather than punt from his own end, later saying, “They didn’t hire me to keep it close. They hired me to win.”

Who Is Hollywood Smothers?

Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers, a Charlotte native who played at Oklahoma and then NC State, scored both of Texas’ last two touchdowns on 1-yard runs, the second with 25 seconds left, after transferring to Austin for 2026. He carried 21 times for 74 yards, matching Ohio State’s Bo Jackson on the ground, and caught 3 passes for 29 yards.

The 1-yard plunge at 7:14 was his first rushing touchdown in burnt orange. The one at 0:25 was the lead. Texas Athletics said he became the third Longhorn in 30 years with two or more rushing scores against an AP No. 1. In 2025 at NC State he ran for 939 yards and made first-team All-ACC before he entered the portal.

There was no long run to freeze as a keepsake. His longest carry against Ohio State went 11 yards. The job was the pile, twice, after Manning had already spent the clock and the Buckeyes’ breath.

Ryan Day Defended the 1-Yard Line

Ryan Day, the Ohio State coach, said his team played well for three quarters and not well enough in the fourth. Radio host Paul Finebaum called it another Ryan Day choke job, pointing at an earlier fourth-and-2 from the Texas 13 in the second quarter, when Ohio State ran for a yard and turned it over on downs instead of kicking.

Hawkins is from Liberty Hill, Texas, a Baylor transfer who had already made three field goals. A make from 45 would have made it 26-17, a two-score game with 4:16 left. It went wide left. Sayin had already missed open looks, including one that would have been a touchdown in the third, and the Buckeyes’ offense went quiet after building that 23-3 lead.

THE THREE STOPS THAT WERE NOT STOPS

• Fourth-and-2: Ohio State, up 10-0, went for it from the Texas 13 at 13:23 of the second quarter, gained a yard, and left the red zone with nothing.
• The 45-yarder: Hawkins missed wide left at 4:16, after makes from 26, 30 and 48, and Texas took over for the winning drive.
• The 1-yard line: Day said the staff talked it through, played defense on second down, then put the ball on the 1 and tried to stop Texas for two downs to win.

A one-score September road loss is the kind of night a playoff roster can file away. A 20-point lead to start the fourth quarter is a different tape, and that is the one Ohio State has to sit with.

Today, we really played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter. That’s the bottom line.

Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach, postgame

Day said all three phases failed to finish, and that the missed kick was one item on a longer list. “This one hurts,” he said. Ohio State had been No. 1 in 17 of the previous 20 AP polls since the 2024 title. After Saturday it was 1-1, and the top five no longer had a seat for the Buckeyes.

McConaughey’s Three Words, Then a Walk-Off

McConaughey posted the caption that traveled: “Belief. Backbone. Heart.” He added, “That’s Texas Fight. Hook em.”

belief. backbone. heart. that’s Texas Fight. Hook em. @TexasFootball @TexasLonghorns

— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) September 13, 2026

Sarkisian used the same fight line on the field. Sideline reporter Holly Rowe started a postgame interview, and he cut in, shouting that it was Texas fight, adding “Hook ’em,” then walking to his team. A Texas spokesperson said broadcast technical problems had cropped up again after the game. At halftime, with Texas down 20-3, reporter Laura Rutledge said Sarkisian had waited through technical issues, declined the interview, and that the crew owed him the apology.

You know, we talk a lot about this in here as a team that life is 10 percent what happens to you, 90 percent how you react to it, and we just hammered them on, everybody focus on the 90 percent. Leave the 10 percent in the first half.

Steve Sarkisian, Texas head coach, postgame

Manning’s night will not wow anyone who only reads 195 passing yards. It was his fourth career fourth-quarter comeback, and it came in front of College GameDay’s 29th visit to a Longhorns game. Texas also forced a turnover at home for the 25th straight game, the longest active streak in the FBS, with Graceson Littleton logging his third career interception as Sayin went 5-of-16 after halftime.

56 First-Place Votes Put Texas at No. 1

The AP Top 25 on Sunday, Sept. 13, moved Texas from No. 4 to No. 1 on 56 first-place votes and 1,678 points. That is Texas’ earliest regular-season No. 1 ranking since 1965. The Longhorns also sat at No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Ohio State dropped five spots to No. 6 with 1,407 points, out of the top five for the first time in two seasons.

AP TOP 25 AFTER WEEK 2

Miami, Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, and LSU also received at least one first-place vote. Linebacker Justin Cryer led Texas with 9 tackles. Edge rusher Colin Simmons added 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Possession went 31:28 to 28:32 for Texas, which ran for 141 yards to Ohio State’s 94 after Spetic’s 37-yard field goal had been the Longhorns’ only points through three quarters.

Kickoff against UTSA is 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 19, on SEC Network+.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Was the Final Score of Texas vs Ohio State?

Texas won 24-23 on Sept. 12, 2026, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns moved to 2-0 and Ohio State fell to 1-1 after a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff, with Texas scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter and Ohio State scoring none.

Who Scored the Game-Winning Touchdown for Texas?

Smothers scored on a 1-yard run with 25 seconds left, his second 1-yard touchdown of the fourth quarter, and Spetic’s extra point made it 24-23. Those were Smothers’ first rushing touchdowns as a Longhorn after he ran for 939 yards and made first-team All-ACC at NC State in 2025.

When Did Texas Last Beat an AP No. 1 Team at Home?

Nov. 4, 1950, against then-top-ranked SMU. Saturday was Texas’ first home win over an AP No. 1 since that game, and the Longhorns also held a top-ranked opponent scoreless in the fourth quarter for the first time since Oct. 12, 1963.

How Many First-Place Votes Did Texas Get in the AP Poll?

Texas received 56 first-place votes and 1,678 points in the AP Top 25 released Sept. 13. Miami received 4, Georgia and Indiana 3 each, and Notre Dame and LSU 1 each, while Texas also took No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll the same week.