Trailing by 17, Texas ignited a furious comeback with clutch offense and special teams, snatching a win to propel their CFP dreams forward.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but the Texas Longhorns pulled off a dramatic overtime win over Mississippi State to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. For most of the night, it looked like Texas was headed toward a brutal upset loss, as the defense didn’t play at its usual level and the Bulldogs were able to move the ball with ease. But for once this season, it was the offense — and special teams — that completely flipped the momentum and helped Texas steal a game that could have crushed their postseason chances.
Mississippi State jumped out to a big lead and had Texas down by 17 points late in the fourth quarter. At that point, nothing was clicking. The defense couldn’t get off the field, and the offense had been inconsistent for most of the night. Then everything changed. Texas scored 24 unanswered points to claw back into it, leaning on the arm of Arch Manning and a few key chunk plays that reignited the sideline and the crowd. The spark that tied the game came on a massive punt return touchdown from Ryan Niblett, who took it 79 yards to the house to make it 38-38 with just minutes remaining in regulation.
From there, the Longhorns carried that momentum into overtime. On the first possession, the offense wasted no time, as backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell — who entered after Manning took a hard hit — connected with Emmett Mosley V for a 10-yard touchdown to put Texas ahead. The defense, which had struggled all night, finally rose to the occasion when it mattered most, closing out the game with a sack on fourth down to seal the win.
It was a gritty victory and one that showed Texas’ resilience, but it also left more questions than answers. The defense’s inability to slow down Mississippi State’s passing game was concerning, and Arch Manning’s health moving forward looms large after exiting the game in overtime. Texas will need him if it wants to keep its playoff push alive.
Now sitting in good position nationally, Texas will turn its attention to a brutal upcoming stretch. The Longhorns face Vanderbilt and Georgia in back-to-back weeks — two ranked SEC opponents that will test every facet of this team. It wasn’t the cleanest win, but Texas survived, stayed ranked, and proved once again that even when things get ugly, this team can find a way to win.