Smothers' Double Digs Texas Out of Hole vs. Buckeyes

A Historic Comeback in Austin

The decisive moment arrived in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, where Hollywood Smothers found the end zone for the second time to seal a 24-23 victory for the Texas Longhorns over the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes.

The win on Saturday, September 12, 2026, marked a stunning reversal for the home team, which trailed by as many as 20 points before a flurry of offensive activity shifted the momentum. With a crowd of 105,044 in attendance, Texas completed the turnaround to improve their record to 2-0, while Ohio State dropped to 1-1.

Early Buckeyes Lead

Ohio State built a substantial cushion during the first half. Connor Hawkins opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal, and Ja'Kobi Jackson added an 8-yard rushing touchdown to give the visitors a 10-0 lead. Texas responded in the second quarter when Gianni Spetic kicked a 37-yard field goal, but Ohio State extended its advantage.

Hawkins added a 30-yard field goal, and Julian Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith on a 19-yard pass for a touchdown to make it 20-3. The Buckeyes closed the half with a 48-yard field goal by Hawkins, leaving them up 23-3 heading into the break.

Fourth Quarter Surge

The third quarter saw no scoring, but the fourth quarter belonged to Texas. Arch Manning, who finished with 195 passing yards on 23 of 37 attempts, connected with Ryan Wingo on a 3-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to seven. Smothers, who rushed for 74 yards on 21 carries, then scored on a 1-yard run to narrow the gap to four points.

With the game on the line, Smothers struck again with another 1-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead. The Longhorns held on for the win, with Manning throwing one interception and one touchdown pass. On the receiving end, Emmett Mosley V contributed 65 yards on five catches for Texas.

Buckeyes Effort Falls Short

Ohio State’s Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards on 17 of 32 attempts, with one touchdown and one interception. Bo Jackson rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries, and Jeremiah Smith had a significant receiving game with 164 yards on eight catches, including his first-half touchdown.

Despite the strong performance from the Buckeyes' offense, they were unable to overcome Texas' late-game explosion, ending their night in Austin with a narrow loss.

Sources

ESPN