Texas 24–23 Ohio State: two fourth downs kept the comeback alive
Texas erased a 23–3 deficit with three late touchdown drives. The fourth-down completions before the final possession explain how the comeback remained possible.
Texas needed three touchdowns to overturn Ohio State’s 23–3 lead. Before Hollywood Smothers supplied the winning one with 25 seconds remaining, the Longhorns twice faced a simpler, harsher problem: fail to reach the next first-down marker and the comeback might end there.
No. 4 Texas beat No. 1 Ohio State 24–23 in Austin on September 12. The official play-by-play identifies two fourth-down completions on the first two touchdown drives: Arch Manning to Emaree Winston on fourth-and-nine, then to Emmett Mosley V on fourth-and-six.
Keeping a drive available
The Winston conversion came in the third quarter, on a possession that eventually produced Ryan Wingo’s touchdown catch early in the fourth. Mosley’s conversion kept the following scoring possession alive. These were separate moments in the recovery, well before the winning finish.
Our reading is that they make this a useful game to study beyond its dramatic final minute. When an offence is three scores behind, every failed series reduces both its available possessions and its freedom to choose. A successful fourth-down pass preserves a drive; it also prevents the next possession from beginning with an even more urgent demand.
That does not make every fourth-down attempt sensible in every game. Here the deficit made the cost of surrendering possession unusually high. The useful question is whether the play gives the quarterback a reachable first-down option under that pressure, rather than whether an aggressive decision deserves praise simply because the team ultimately won.
The missed kick was an opening
Ohio State still had a chance to restore a two-score advantage. Connor Hawkins missed from 45 yards with 4:16 left. Texas then travelled 73 yards for Smothers’s winner. The opening required another complete drive; it did not deliver the touchdown by itself.
In Ohio State’s postgame account, Ryan Day pointed to stalled offensive possessions and Texas’s sustained drives and fourth-down conversions. That assessment spreads the responsibility more usefully than placing the defeat entirely on one kick.
What the result should change
Texas can take confidence from repeatedly extending its opportunity to win. It should still review how it reached a 20-point deficit. Ohio State’s task is to connect its late attacking and defensive possessions: finishing a game requires both another scoring threat and the ability to get off the field.
Smothers supplied the decisive score. The conversions before it explain why Texas still had a game to win.
Questions from the stands
Who won Texas vs Ohio State on September 12, 2026?
Texas won 24–23 in Austin. Ohio State led 23–3 before Texas scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, with Hollywood Smothers scoring the winner with 25 seconds remaining.
Which fourth downs mattered in Texas’s comeback?
Arch Manning completed a fourth-and-nine pass to Emaree Winston on the first touchdown drive and a fourth-and-six pass to Emmett Mosley V on the second. Our analysis focuses on how those conversions preserved the possessions needed for the comeback.
Did a missed field goal decide Ohio State’s defeat?
Connor Hawkins missed a 45-yard attempt with 4:16 remaining, leaving Texas an opportunity. Texas still had to complete a 73-yard touchdown drive. Day’s postgame assessment also addressed stalled Ohio State drives and Texas’s fourth-down conversions.
Sources & further reading
Reporting supports the facts; the interpretation is our editorial view. Published 13 Sep 2026. Updated 13 Sep 2026, 08:17 CAT.
- Texas–Ohio State official final box score and play-by-play ↗University of Texas Athletics
- Ohio State’s match report and Ryan Day’s postgame assessment ↗Ohio State Athletics