4 Instant Takeaways After Texas Longhorns Stun LSU in Final Seconds

The Texas Longhorns could be on the brink of making the College Football Playoff.

No. 6 Texas stunned No. 21 LSU in the final seconds in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, as Arch Manning threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Raleek Brown with three seconds left to pull off a 22-21 win.

The game kicked off less than 24 hours after the Longhorns were delayed on their flight out of Austin following the FAA's sudden nationwide ground stoppage on Friday night. The team ended up landing in Louisiana around midnight.

But that didn't matter in the end. Texas found a way.

Arch Manning Comes Up Clutch Despite Woeful Performance

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) rushes during the first quarter against the Louisiana State Tigers at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manning played poorly. There's no other way to put it.

Despite that, he stayed steady. He made the throws when he needed to, highlighted by the winner to Brown.

Manning will need to be much better moving forward if the Longhorns want to make the CFP. But for now, he can celebrate.

No Red Zone Woes in the Clutch This Time

Texas fans have experienced some major heartbreak the past few seasons when it comes to the team's inabiltity to score in the red zone during crunch time.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

In 2023 against Washington and 2024 against Ohio State, Texas lost because the offense could score late on the goal line.

Both of those losses came in the CFP. Saturday's win won't exactly make Texas fans forget about those two games, but it certainly heals those wounds a bit.

Texas Defense Shuts Down LSU in Second Half

Texas held LSU to just seven points in the second half. The Tigers were scorless in the fourth quarter after taking a 21-10 lead with 5:52 left in the third quarter.

Despite giving up some chunk plays in the first half, the Texas defense had itself a night, thanks in large part to Jelani McDonald's takeaways and some timely three-and-outs.

Unfortunately, that didn't mean much since the offense completely wasted away a career night from McDonald ... at least it looked like things were headed that way.

Texas scored a total of zero points off of three takeaways by the defense. You don't deserve to win a night game at Tiger Stadium if you can't play complementary football, but it didn't matter in the end. Texas found a way to win a game it had no business winning due to defense, which gave the Longhorns a fighting chance.

Jelani McDonald Had a Night for the Record Books

Texas Longhorns defensive back Jelani McDonald (4) intercepts a pass during the second quarter against the Louisiana State Tigers at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jelani McDonald had the best game of his career. He finished with 11 total tackles and three interceptions.

From a guy that started out his career low on the depth chart, McDonald has grown into one of the best safeties in the country, and Saturday's performance proved that.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google