No. 19 Texas holds off No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 after blowing 21-point lead

No. 19 Texas held on to beat No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 in Austin on Saturday night, surviving a second-half rally that wiped out a 21-point lead and snapping the Longhorns’ two-game losing streak.

Texas led 24-3 at halftime at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, but Ole Miss fought back to tie the game at 24 early in the fourth quarter. The Rebels had stayed alive late in the first half when punter Oscar Bird ran 17 yards for a first down on a fake punt with Texas set up for a return.

Arch Manning settled it. The Texas quarterback scored twice on the ground and threw one touchdown pass, restoring the lead with a go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter after Ole Miss had levelled the game.

Ole Miss still had a chance in the final minute. The Rebels recovered an onside kick and drove inside the Texas 30-yard line, but their last pass into the end zone was intercepted to seal the win.

Texas finished with 14 penalties for 121 yards, and receiver Cam Coleman was helped from the field after a hard fall trying to make a diving catch early in the second half. The win took Texas to 5-2 for the season and 2-2 in Southeastern Conference play.

Sources: Associated Press, https://www.lanacion.com.ar/usa/arch-manning-and-no-19-texas-hang-on-to-beat-no-7-ole-miss-34-27-after-blowing-21-point-lead-nid25102026/ ; ESPN via theScore, https://www.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/3634084/texas-outlasts-ole-miss-despite-blowing-21-point-lead ; USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/10/24/college-football-live-analysis-week-8-scores-upsets-byu-tennessee-iowa-texas-tech/92425563007/ ; 247Sports, https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/snap-judgments-after-no-19-texas-made-a-34-27-victory-over-no-7-ole-miss-as-hard-as-it-could-possibly-be-291756150/