Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (09/10/2026) — The Texas Longhorns edged the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-23 on Thursday night at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, surviving a one-point thriller in front of 105,044 fans in a marquee nonconference showdown between two of college football's premier programs.
How It Happened
Texas built its winning formula on balance and possession. The Longhorns finished with 336 total yards — 195 through the air and 141 on the ground — while piling up 25 first downs and controlling the ball for 31:28. Just as important, Texas converted nine third downs, repeatedly extending drives and keeping the Ohio State offense on the sideline in a game where every possession carried weight.
Arch Manning completed 23 of 37 passes for 195 yards, distributing the ball efficiently and leaning on a methodical approach rather than the big play. Hollywood Smothers provided the finishing touches, reaching the end zone twice to account for the bulk of the Longhorns' scoring. Gianni Spetic chipped in six points, and in a game decided by a single point, every one of them mattered.
The night was not without adversity for Texas. The Longhorns committed two turnovers, giving the Buckeyes opportunities to seize control. But the Texas defense answered when it had to, holding Ohio State to 23 points, with Colin Simmons registering a sack to headline the pass-rush effort.
Turning Point
In a 24-23 final, the margin lives in the details, and for Texas the difference came down to sustained execution. Nine third-down conversions and a nearly four-minute edge in time of possession allowed the Longhorns to dictate tempo, and Spetic's six points off his leg proved larger than the final margin itself. When Texas needed to move the chains, it did — 25 first downs against a defense of Ohio State's caliber is a statement — and that steady pressure ultimately outweighed the two giveaways that could have flipped the outcome.
Star of the Game
Hollywood Smothers earns the honor. His two touchdowns accounted for half of Texas's 24 points, and in a game where neither offense pulled away, finding the end zone twice was the decisive contribution. Manning's 195 passing yards on 23-of-37 accuracy kept the offense on schedule, but it was Smothers who converted those long, grinding drives into the points that made the difference.
What It Means
For the Texas Longhorns, this is exactly the kind of victory that resonates in September. Beating the Ohio State Buckeyes — by any margin — is a resume-defining result, and doing it while overcoming two turnovers speaks to the team's composure. The formula on display in Austin — ball control, third-down efficiency, and timely defense — travels well, and Texas will look to carry that identity into the heart of its SEC schedule with genuine momentum and a signature win in hand.
For the Ohio State Buckeyes, the loss stings precisely because of how close it was. A one-point road defeat in front of more than 105,000 hostile fans is the kind of result that tests a team without breaking it. Ohio State kept itself in position to win deep into the night at one of the sport's most difficult venues, and there is a long season ahead for the Buckeyes to turn this near-miss into fuel.
Thursday night in Austin delivered what the matchup promised: two heavyweight programs trading blows for sixty minutes, decided by the thinnest of margins. This time, the Texas Longhorns made one more play than the Ohio State Buckeyes — and that was enough.
