No. 4 Texas vs. No. 1 Ohio State final score: Three unanswered fourth-quarter TDs launch Horns to 24-23 win Burnt Orange Nation No. 4 Texas mounts fourth-quarter rally, stuns No. 1 Ohio State ESPN Replay: Texas rallies t...
Things went sideways quickly for the Longhorns, but Steve Sarkisian's team showed tremendous resilience in the improbable comeback.
For the No. 4 Texas Longhorns to get where sixth-year head coach Steve Sarkisian wants to take them, the program has to get past behemoths like the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, who stood in the way of a national championship appearance in the College Football Playoff two years ago.
Now the Buckeyes represent the first major test for the Longhorns this season as Texas chases its first title since 2005.
With consecutive losses to Ryan Day's program, Ohio State looms as a Georgia-like barrier to success for Sarkisian, who is 0-5 against the two programs over the last two years.
In the wake of a Friday report that freshman running back Derrek Cooper will be a game-time decision for Texas after suffering an ankle injury last week in the season opener, Cooper was dressed and going through warmups with his teammates on Saturday.
After winning the toss, Ohio State deferred to the second half and kicked off to start the game, a returnable kick for Ryan Niblett, who only made it to the 22-yard line. The Buckeyes appeared to quickly gain momentum by forcing a fumble by fifth-year running back Raleek Brown, who was hit behind the line of scrimmage and fumbled as Ohio State blew up the blocks by junior wide receivers Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V, a call upheld on review.
Facing a sudden-change situation, the Texas defense held despite allowing a first down on two runs by Bo Jackson as new Ohio State offensive coordinator appeared to miss some key lessons from the last two meetings between the college football blue bloods - don't run toss sweeps near the goal line and don't expect superstar wide receiver Jeremiah Smith to beat sophomore nickel back Graceson Littleton.
The toss to Jackson went for a nine-yard loss on a big-time play by senior linebacker/edge Brad Spence and Smith couldn't come up with the pass from quarterback Julian Sayin in the end zone, forcing a 28-yard field goal that put the Buckeyes on top early.
Senior running back Hollywood Smothers opened the drive with two carries after a touchback on the kickoff, gaining eight yards on duo with a lead block from sophomore tight end Nick Townsend lined up as a fullback, then secured a first down on third and short.
Looking for a big play, Sarkisian schemed up junior wide receiver Cam Coleman open on a deep over route, but the ball was slightly overthrown and as Coleman dove for it, the ball popped out directly to Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain, another call upheld on review.
Ohio State opened the drive with a chunk play on a short pass to tight end Mason Williams for 23 yards, but got behind the chains thanks to a lateral to running back Legend Bey and an incompletion by Sayin. With the play clock running down on 3rd and 10, Day was forced to call a timeout.
With Texas playing zone and pressure not getting home, Smith was able to find an opening for 13 yards, then took a screen pass for nine yards. After several successful runs by Jackson, Smith got a slant over the middle and Jackson powered through multiple defenders for an eight-yard touchdown run and a 10-0 lead.
Senior quarterback Arch Manning seemed to loss his composure on the ensuing drive, throwing high and incomplete on first down and then running into a sack on 3rd and 4.
Things continued to go poorly for the Longhorns on the first punt of the season by senior Mac Chiumento thanks to a 16-yard return by Brandon Inniss.
A scramble by Sayin on 2nd and 11 set up a manageable third down for the Buckeyes, where Smith did more damage, creating separation for a 10-yard gain. Two runs up the middle continued to punish the Texas defensive line, but weren't enough to move the chains - on 3rd and 4, a similar call picked up a first down to end the first quarter.
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Sports.
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