AUSTIN, Texas -- They booed Arch Manning off his home field again. Same stadium, same month, not quite the same quarterback. A year ago it was UTEP and 10 straight incompletions.
Saturday it was No. 1 Ohio State, a 23-3 deficit and two turnovers -- none his fault -- in the first five plays. So, he remixed his resurgent fourth-quarter performance from a year ago in Columbus, but this time with a much different outcome: a comeback win for the ages. Texas 24, Ohio State 23 will be remembered as the largest comeback against a No. 1 team since 1988, and the strangest kind of deja vu for the most scrutinized quarterback in the sport.
"I did not want to come in here after a loss at home to Ohio State again and have some sort of bad -- y'all telling me we're not good, all this stuff," Manning said. "I could not let that happen." Arch Manning after the win:"I couldn't lose to them again, I had nightmares about that game last year." pic.twitter.com/seJIpl0Bs7 In stark contrast to the previous year's fourth-quarter comeback attempt at Ohio State that fell just short, he led the Longhorns to three consecutive touchdown drives of 12 plays or more, capped by the winning score with only 25 seconds left, to write a new chapter in the Book of Manning. If it sounds familiar, it should.
It nearly happened a year ago when No. 1 Texas fell 14-7 at No. 3 Ohio State. On Saturday, Manning threw for only 60 yards in the first half, including minus-4 in the first quarter. A year ago, he had only 26 passing yards at halftime.
He was prolific in the fourth quarter a year ago and downright unstoppable in the final 15 minutes Saturday. He completed 11 of his final 15 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. He was clutch when it mattered most.
Eight of those completions resulted in a first down or score, including two fourth-down conversions. That included a 12-yarder to Emmett Mosley V on a fourth-and-6 from his own 32-yard line to extend the Horns' second touchdown drive. Hollywood Smothers capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run to pull the Horns within six points with 7:14 remaining.
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