Heading into the matchup against Ole Miss, there were two scenarios for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team: Funeral or resurrection.
To say Texas had enormous pressure on its shoulders would be quite the understatement. The Longhorns were fighting to stay in College Football Playoff contention and avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2021.
Texas had to fight to save their season.
With just a minute left, the Longhorns found themselves on the ropes yet again.
Texas was up by seven with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter as Ole Miss made a last-ditch effort with an onside kick. In normal fashion, Texas let the Rebels recover.
The last 80 seconds felt like an eternity. Quarterbacks like fifth-year Trinidad Chambliss, a Heisman Trophy candidate, are built for moments like this. But the defense wouldn’t let him spoil its day, especially after dominating most of the night.
Despite driving the ball quickly, Ole Miss ran out of time. Chambliss threw a hail mary into the end zone, and senior defensive back Jelani McDonald sealed the game with an interception as the crowd sighed in relief.
“What amazing atmosphere and energy (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium) was again, and for those fans that sold their tickets, they missed a hell of a game tonight,” Sarkisian said.
Texas came out guns blazing in the first half, outscoring the Rebels 24-3. The Longhorns looked like a completely different team. They were executing efficiently, with sustained drives and senior quarterback Arch Manning “let it rip.” Not to mention, the defense absolutely shut down Chambliss. Texas held him to 25-of-52 passing, his lowest completion percentage as the starting quarterback with the Rebels.
But just like last week, and the week before, the third quarter was a nightmare. The Longhorns were outscored 14-0, and after adjustments to the Ole Miss offensive scheme and costly penalties from the Texas defense, the Rebels suddenly went even as the fourth quarter began.
It was crucial that the Longhorns drive down the field to take the lead again. But things went from bad to worse when Manning was picked off after throwing into triple coverage.
Silence swept the stadium at that very second. It seemed as though the same thought was on everyone’s
“Is this seriously happening again?”
Was Texas really about to blow a double-digit lead in three straight games?
For the past two weeks, that would’ve been the nail in the coffin. For Manning, that kind of mistake might have been too much to overcome. But he and his team got off the mat and looked like the same offense that thrived in the first half.
Despite missing senior running back Hollywood Smothers and senior offensive lineman Trevor Goosby, who exited the game in the first quarter with a lower-leg injury, Texas leaned on the run game, which, for the first time in a while, thrived. Fifth-year running back Raleek Brown led the charge, rushing for 157 yards.
Despite that interception and a strip sack that gave Ole Miss its first touchdown of the night, Manning delivered when it mattered most. He used his legs to convert on third-and-17 and threw a couple of deep balls, including a beautiful 50-yard touchdown throw to junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo under pressure.
That “edginess” he played with was contagious.
“When he responds that way, when he plays that way, when he shows that fire in his belly that he had tonight: I think the team responds to that,” Sarkisian said.
Texas fans had been looking for those explosive plays, and they finally got them.
Someway, somehow, Texas survived and got its second top-10 win of the season. It wasn’t pretty, but for Saturday night, it was enough. And that’s all Texas fans can really ask for.
