Texas senior running back Hollywood Smothers picked up his first weekly Paul Hornung Award honor Tuesday, earning Player of the Week recognition from the Louisville Sports Commission after a huge role in No. 1/1 Texas’ 24-23 comeback win over No. 1/1 Ohio State.
Smothers was already on the award’s preseason watch list in 2025, but this is the first time he’s landed the weekly nod.
His fingerprints were all over Texas’ rally at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 12.
The Longhorns erased a 23-3 deficit and pulled out a one-point win, marking Texas’ first 20-plus-point comeback in the fourth quarter against a No. 1 team in 22 years. It also stood as the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback and the fourth-largest overall comeback in program history.
Texas moved to 2-0, extended its home winning streak to 11 straight, and picked up its fourth consecutive home win over a ranked opponent, the longest such run in the country.
Smothers handled 25 touches in the game and produced 108 all-purpose yards. He ran 21 times for 74 yards and two scores, added two catches for 15 yards, and chipped in a 19-yard kickoff return. Texas’ offense closed the night with three straight touchdown drives, each at least 12 plays and 72 yards, to climb out of the hole.
His first touchdown came on a one-yard run with 7:14 left, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 23-17. Then, with 25 seconds remaining, Smothers punched in another one-yard score to tie it at 23-23 before senior kicker Gianni Spetic added the PAT to put Texas ahead for good, 24-23.
Through two games, Smothers leads Texas with 144 rushing yards on 31 carries, a 4.6 yards-per-carry average, and two touchdowns. He’s averaging a team-best 72 rushing yards per game and has also caught five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.
The Paul Hornung Award, launched by the Louisville Sports Commission in 2010, honors versatile college football players and recognizes the ones who often don’t get enough attention. Each week in the regular season, a panel of college football experts names Honor Roll selections based on performance. An 18-member national selection committee made up of sports journalists and former NFL players votes on the finalists and winner, with fan voting powered by Texas Roadhouse counting as the 19th vote.
Texas returns to action at 7 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 19, against UTSA at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will stream on SEC Network+ with Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman and Austyn Iven on the call.
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