Texas Football Shocks No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27—Longhorns Keep Playoff Dream Alive

Texas football fans finally got the bounce-back they craved Saturday night, as No. 19 Texas Longhorns escaped with a dramatic 34-27 victory over No. 7 Ole Miss at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, snapping a two-game skid and reigniting the program’s SEC hopes. Texas roared to a 27-6 halftime lead behind quarterback Arch Manning’s sharp first half (16-for-22, 214 yards, 2 TDs) and a stifling defense that limited the Rebels to 83 rushing yards through two quarters. But a pair of third-quarter turnovers—including a strip-sack recovered by Ole Miss in the end zone—helped Lane Kiffin’s squad storm back to tie the game at 27 with 11:18 remaining. Enter sophomore running back Raleek Brown. The USC transfer took a draw play 38 yards to the house with 6:47 left, putting Texas ahead for good and sending the burnt-orange crowd of 102,513 into a frenzy. Brown finished with 118 yards on 14 carries, his first 100-yard night as a Longhorn. The defense, gashed during the comeback, slammed the door late. Senior edge rusher Ethan Burke notched back-to-back sacks on the Rebels’ final possession, and Jahdae Barron’s pass breakup on 4th-and-18 sealed the game with 1:02 to play. Texas knelt out the clock to secure its first win over a top-10 opponent since last month’s historic 24-23 comeback against then-No. 1 Ohio State. Key numbers • Manning: 24-of-34, 312 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT—his fourth 300-yard outing of 2026 and the 11th-best passer rating nationally this week. • Brown: 118 rush yds, 1 TD; 36 rec yds on 4 catches. • Defense: 5 sacks, 10 TFL, 2 takeaways. What the win means 1. Season reset. At 5-2 (2-2 SEC), Steve Sarkisian’s team now controls its path to Atlanta thanks to upcoming divisional showdowns with Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU. 2. Manning’s Heisman pulse. The sophomore’s 1,607 passing yards and 14 TDs put him back in the national conversation as big November stages loom. 3. Recruiting ripple. Dozens of blue-chip 2027 recruits, including five-star edge Zion Barnes, were on the sideline; staffers privately called the atmosphere “program-defining.” Looking ahead Texas hosts Mississippi State on Halloween in a primetime clash the SEC flexed to ABC. Win, and the Longhorns could re-enter the top-10 before November’s brutal road trip to Missouri and LSU. With momentum restored, Sarkisian’s message is simple: “Everything we want is still right in front of us.” After Saturday’s gut-check, Texas football believers can finally nod in agreement.