Smothers Delivers in the Fourth
Hollywood Smothers carried the ball for a pair of one-yard touchdowns in the final quarter to give the No. 4 Texas Longhorns a 24-23 victory over the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The decisive runs came after Texas trailed by 20 points entering the fourth quarter, turning a seemingly out-of-reach deficit into a narrow home win at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The attendance figure reached 105,044 fans who witnessed the late surge.
Buckeyes Built Early Lead
Ohio State controlled the first three quarters, establishing a 23-3 lead before the final period. Connor Hawkins provided early stability with a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter. Ja'Kobi Jackson added an eight-yard rushing touchdown in the opening frame to extend the Buckeyes' advantage.
In the second quarter, Gianni Spetic kicked a 37-yard field goal for Texas, but Hawkins responded with a 30-yard kick. Jeremiah Smith then caught a 19-yard pass from Julian Sayin for a touchdown, pushing the Ohio State lead to 20-3. Hawkins added a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter to set the stage for the fourth-quarter drama.
Manning and Texas Response
Arch Manning led the Texas comeback with 195 passing yards on 23 of 37 attempts, throwing one touchdown pass and one interception. His first scoring connection came in the fourth quarter when Ryan Wingo caught a three-yard pass for a touchdown. Texas then relied on its running game to close the gap.
