College Football Fans Had Same Opinion of Arch Manning After Texas-Ohio State

Texas football star Arch Manning answered three-quarters of criticism in about 12 minutes of game time Saturday night, and college football fans watching the fourth quarter in Austin landed on one shared verdict about the Longhorns quarterback.

Ohio State led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter before Texas scored 21 unanswered points to win 24-23 in Austin, and Manning went 8 of 11 passing in that final period with a touchdown.

Arch Manning fourth quarter stats

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) passes against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manning finished 23 of 37 for 196 yards and a touchdown, and those numbers hide how the night divided in two. He completed half his throws for 60 yards in the first half and threw an interception on his second pass of the game. After that, he went 8 of 11 in the fourth quarter for 91 total yards and a score.

Two fourth-down throws kept the rally going. With 2:21 left in the third quarter, Texas went for it on fourth and 9 from its own 42 and Manning hit Emaree Winston for 9 yards. On fourth and 6 from the Texas 32 with 11:45 to play, he found Emmett Mosley for 12. On the last possession, the 22-year-old signal-caller went 4 of 5 and moved the Longhorns 73 yards to the goal line.

What did Texas fans say?

Arch Manning celebrates with Kevin Durant after Texas’ massive comeback🤝

(via ABC) pic.twitter.com/XiU7WbuL7o
— On3 (@On3) September 13, 2026

Fans who spent three quarters piling on switched sides the moment the comeback started. Former NFL linebacker and Bussin With The Boys co-host Will Compton posted "ARCH MANNING LEGACY DRIVE!!!" while the winning possession was still going. One account wrote, "THE LEGEND OF ARCH MANNING IS UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES. TEXAS IS BACK." Polymarket Football posted that Manning "proved himself as a top 5 pick next April."

A few holdouts stayed put. One reply under that Polymarket post read, "Manning has a LONG way to go to become a good QB." Another said, "The RB carried him."

Ohio State and Texas final score

THE TEXAS LONGHORNS JUST DID THAT 😉@TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/SmijJe8647
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 13, 2026

Hollywood Smothers scored on a 1-yard run with 25 seconds left, and Gianni Spetic added the extra point. Connor Hawkins had missed a 45-yard field goal with 4:16 to play that would have put the Buckeyes ahead by two scores. Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards, and Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Still, Sayin's last pass was intercepted as the game ended.

ESPN gave Ohio State a 98.3% chance to win when the lead sat at 20 points late in the third quarter. It was the largest Texas comeback since 2007. Texas hosts UTSA next Saturday, and Ohio State hosts Kent State on Sept. 19.

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