Texas Stuns Ohio State 24-23 in Austin After Historic Fourth-Quarter Comeback

Texas turned a nationally significant home game in Austin into a historic comeback Saturday night, defeating No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after trailing 23-3 entering the fourth quarter.

The Longhorns scored 21 points in the final period while holding Ohio State scoreless, completing a 20-point comeback in front of 105,044 fans. The victory was followed Sunday by Texas moving to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Texas overcame a 23-3 deficit

Ohio State led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter, putting Texas in position to mount a rally against the nation’s No. 1 team. Texas opened the final period with a touchdown pass from Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo, then added two 1-yard touchdown runs by Hollywood Smothers. The final score was Texas 24, Ohio State 23.

The Associated Press, citing Sportradar, reported that Texas’s 20-point fourth-quarter comeback was the largest fourth-quarter rally in a victory over an AP No. 1 team. That historical distinction is attributed to AP’s reporting and the statistical information cited in its account.

More than 105,000 attended in Austin

The University of Texas reported attendance of 105,044 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The school said the crowd was the third-largest in the stadium’s history.

That attendance underscored the scale of the Austin event. The city hosted a nationally watched matchup between two highly ranked teams, a rare fourth-quarter comeback and one of the largest crowds in the stadium’s history on the same night. The confirmed local significance is centered on the stadium, campus, fans and Austin’s role as the site of the result.

Texas became No. 1 after the win

The victory produced a national ranking consequence the following day. In the AP Top 25 poll published Sunday, September 13, Texas moved to No. 1 and received 56 first-place votes.

That ranking reflects the AP poll published after the Austin game; it is not a permanent designation. It nevertheless marked an immediate shift in the national standings after Texas defeated the top-ranked Buckeyes on its home field.

What comes next at the stadium

Texas is scheduled to host UTSA at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 19, with kickoff listed for 7 p.m. Central time, according to the University of Texas Athletics schedule.

For Austin, the Ohio State game will be remembered as the night the Longhorns erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit against the nation’s No. 1 team. The following day’s move to No. 1 extended the impact of the result beyond the stadium and into the national college football conversation.

Sources

• University of Texas Athletics game recap
• Associated Press game report