The Texas Longhorns are still standing in the College Football Playoff race, and they earned that breathing room the hard way.
No. 19 Texas outlasted No.
7 Ole Miss 34-27 on Saturday night in Austin, surviving a game that swung all over the place and tested just about every part of the roster. The Longhorns built a 24-3 halftime lead, then watched it get chipped away after a night filled with turnovers, a botched onside kick, 14 penalties for 134 yards and injuries to wide receiver Cam Coleman and left tackle Trevor Goosby.
Even with all of that, Texas snapped its two-game losing streak after a week of heavy scrutiny.
The biggest reason the Longhorns escaped was Raleek Brown. He was productive early, but the fourth quarter was where he took over. Brown ripped off a season-long 47-yard run that set up an Arch Manning touchdown, then added runs of 12 and 28 yards on the final Texas possession to help seal it.
With Hollywood Smothers out because of a shoulder injury and Derrek Cooper limited by an illness, Brown carried the load and finished with 23 carries for 157 yards, easily his best outing of the season. Michael Terry III also chipped in with eight carries for 41 yards and the first touchdown of his career.
Texas also leaned on its defense when it mattered most, especially in the first half. The Longhorns forced Ole Miss into five three-and-outs and made Trinidad Chambliss look out of sync early, holding him to 6 of 18 passing for 63 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions before halftime.
That early control mattered because Ole Miss surged later, and the Rebels’ momentum started with a defensive score of their own - a strip-sack touchdown on Manning. From there, the third quarter got messy for Texas. Chambliss found more success against the Longhorns’ secondary, and the penalties in coverage kept piling up.
Still, Texas did enough late. After Ole Miss opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown, the Longhorns forced a punt and then pushed the Rebels into a 58-yard field-goal try. The final stop came in the end zone, where Jelani McDonald intercepted Chambliss for the third pick of the night.
Manning wasn’t clean, but he did enough to build the lead and help finish the job. He went 18 of 30 for 212 yards with one passing touchdown and two interceptions, and he added two rushing scores. He looked comfortable in the first half and scored on a boot-leg one-yard run to put Texas back ahead in the fourth quarter.
The mistakes were obvious. The interceptions were the kind of throws he’ll want back, and the sack-fumble was another rough moment in a night full of them. But Texas found a way to hold on anyway.
The larger issue remains the same: the Longhorns continue to struggle in the third quarter. Even with the win, they let a massive halftime cushion shrink far too much before finally steadying themselves late.
In Other News...
Texas Escaped Ole Miss But A Bigger Arch Manning Concern Remains
Texas kept finding trouble early and resilience late, turning another shaky outing into a 34-27 win over Ole Miss after once again coughing up a double-digit lead. For the third straight game, the Longhorns watched an advantage slip away, only to answer in the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive that steadied things just enough to leave Austin with a victory.
Arch Manning did enough to keep Texas in front, throwing for 171 yards and scoring twice on the ground, including the go-ahead run. Even with the win, the broader concern lingers for Texas: the offense still has to prove it can sustain control for four quarters, and Ole Miss nearly forced the issue at the end before an interception in the end zone preserved the result. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Coach Is Still Explaining The Choices Texas Made Hurt
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding spent the aftermath of the Texas game doing what coaches often have to do after a close loss: explaining the calls that looked bold in the moment and costly in hindsight. A late 58-yard field goal attempt was his choice because he believed the game was still within reach, even with the risk attached, and the kick was blocked before Texas answered with a field goal of its own to widen the gap.
Golding also revisited an earlier fourth-down decision late in the second quarter, saying he regretted passing up a short field goal there instead of chasing the conversion. For Texas, those two moments helped shape a win that never really let Ole Miss off the hook, while Golding is left weighing whether the aggressive approach helped his team or handed the Longhorns extra breathing room. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Coleman Adds Another Worry To Texas Passing Game
The passing game already had enough questions, and now Cam Coleman has added another layer of concern. The Texas wide receiver went down with a shoulder injury against Ole Miss and was escorted to the locker room for evaluation, interrupting what had been a quiet night for him after coming into the matchup expected to play a major role.
Coleman had just one catch for 12 yards before exiting, while Ryan Wingo led the Longhorns receiving group. With Coleman already dealing with dropped passes earlier in the season, Texas is suddenly left waiting on both his health and his ability to settle in as the kind of dependable target the offense needs. [Read more 🡒]