Texas blew a double-digit lead for the third straight game Saturday. Only this time, the Longhorns rebounded with a clutch fourth-quarter touchdown drive to secure a crucial 34-27 win over Ole Miss.
Shortly after the Rebels erased a 21-point halftime deficit, Texas' offense went 80 yards down the field in six plays, and Arch Manning capped off the drive with his second touchdown run of the night.
WE GOT A GAME 🍿 Arch takes it himself to give Texas the late lead 🤘 https://t.co/k2pEneiSWj
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2026
That score gave the Longhorns a lead they wouldn't relinquish, though Ole Miss had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds after recovering an onside kick. The Rebels drove inside Texas' 30-yard line before Trinidad Chambliss' last-ditch effort was intercepted in the end zone.
OLE MISS FALLS SHORT WITH NO TIME REMAINING. TEXAS WINS. https://t.co/VdX3dg0A5U
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2026
Unlike its performances the last couple of weeks, Texas' offense was largely effective in the opening half. Head coach Steve Sarkisian admitted earlier in the week that he'd challenged Manning and the rest of the unit in practice leading up to Saturday. The second-year starter threw for 171 yards and a score as the Longhorns put up 258 total yards and took a 24-3 lead into the locker room.
Things looked to be well in hand with Manning getting the ball to start the second half, but just as in weeks past, Sarkisian's team showed that no lead is safe.
Ole Miss quickly cut into the deficit with a strip-sack touchdown on Manning - a play that seemed to rattle both the quarterback and his offensive line. Texas put up just 19 total yards in the third quarter as the Rebels went up and down the field and eventually tied the contest.
Manning later threw his second interception of the contest, but Texas' defense bailed him out, and he led the Longhorns on the game-deciding touchdown drive on the next possession.
