Texas didn’t just beat Ohio State on Saturday night. It put a dent in the record book while doing it.
The then-No. 4 Longhorns’ upset of the then-No.
1 Buckeyes drew massive attention from the start, with an average of 14 million viewers watching and a peak audience of 16.4 million, according to ESPN. That made it the highest-watched game in a decade.
But the numbers that really defined the night came on the field, where Texas erased a 20-point deficit and turned a marquee matchup into a history-making comeback.
The scale of the rally was staggering. It was the first time a No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll lost after taking a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter since 2004, and No. 1 teams had been 197-0 in that situation before Texas flipped the script. It was also the biggest comeback in a top-five matchup since 1995, topping the previous mark of 17 set by Georgia against Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl.
Ohio State’s collapse added another layer to the rarity of it all. The Buckeyes had been 137-0 when leading by 17 or more points going into the fourth quarter, and 21-0 in that spot as AP No.
- They had also been 160-1 after leading by 20-plus points with a 115-game win streak, with the lone loss coming in 2011 at Nebraska.
For Texas, the comeback carved out its own place in school history. It was Steve Sarkisian’s biggest career comeback, surpassing a 17-point rally at Mississippi State in 2025.
It was also Texas’s biggest fourth-quarter comeback since 1995, when the Longhorns erased a 21-point deficit at Oklahoma State in 2007. Texas had been 2-21 when trailing by 17 or more entering the fourth quarter.
By the time Arch Manning and the offense found their rhythm and the defense settled back into its familiar form, the comeback was complete and the records were gone.
Texas may not be chasing another television mark this weekend, but the Longhorns will be back on the field as the newly No. 1 team when they host UTSA. Texas and UTSA are set for 7 p.m.
CT on Saturday, Sept. 19, with the SEC schedule waiting after that. For now, it’s all coming up burnt orange.
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Caleb Downs Had A Telling Reaction To Texas Taking Control
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Downs said the change in the game was enough for him to turn away in the middle of the third quarter, unable to keep watching as Texas built its edge. The reaction fit the moment: a team that has now gone 2-1 against him in college was taking over, and the discomfort did not end there for Downs, who also had a rough next day when his NFL rookie debut with the Dallas Cowboys ended in defeat. [Read more 🡒]