Texas Blows a 21-Point Lead, Then Arch Manning Wins It Back

By The Arena Staff

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 24, 2026 — Texas spent the first half building a 24-3 lead over a top-10 opponent and most of the second half giving it all back. Arch Manning made sure the Longhorns didn't give away the game, too.

Manning ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and No. 19 Texas held on to beat No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 on Saturday night after watching a 21-point lead vanish, according to theScore and On3.

The first half was everything Texas had been missing. Manning ran for a 2-yard score, then hit Ryan Wingo for a 50-yard touchdown, and Michael Terry III ran one in to make it 24-3 midway through the second quarter, per the ESPN scoring summary.

It came apart fast. On Texas' first possession of the second half, Manning was sacked and lost the ball, and Ole Miss recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, On3 reported. Backup Andre Cojoe was filling in at left tackle for the injured Trevor Goosby. Trinidad Chambliss then threw two touchdown passes to Horatio Fields, the second a 27-yarder with 13:57 left that tied it 24-24.

theScore noted it was the third straight game in which Texas blew a double-digit lead. The difference this time was the answer. The Longhorns went 80 yards in six plays, and Manning kept it himself from the 1 for a 31-24 lead with 8:04 left. A 33-yard field goal by Gianni Spetic made it a 10-point game with 2:25 to go.

Ole Miss still had one more push. Lucas Carneiro kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:22 left, the Rebels recovered an onside kick and drove inside the Texas 30, but Chambliss' last throw was intercepted, according to theScore.

Raleek Brown carried the Texas offense late, running for 157 yards on 23 carries with starter Hollywood Smothers out with a shoulder injury, On3 reported. Manning finished 18 of 30 for 212 yards with two interceptions. Chambliss was 25 of 52 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and three picks.

The game carried extra weight for Manning, whose grandfather Archie and uncle Eli both starred at Ole Miss. Texas is now 5-2, and Ole Miss fell to 5-2.

Share-card photo: Arch Manning in 2024, by Johntex via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.