No. 19 Texas defeated No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Texas was leading 24-3 at halftime before letting the Rebels go on a 21-point streak to draw the game level. Quarterback Arch Manning rallied the team with a 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, and the defense sealed the win for them by intercepting the final pass of Ole Miss.
This was after Texas had lost two consecutive games against unranked teams. This included a defeat to Oklahoma by 27-24 and Florida by 27-24.
Manning and the head coach, Steve Sarkisian, were under pressure from critics because Texas had dropped out of the ranks of top-ranking colleges. Ole Miss entered the game having won five consecutive games. They also had one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Trinidad Chambliss.
Texas played with great zeal before the 104,306-strong crowd. Gavin Spetic scored a 23-yard field goal on their opening play. Ole Miss matched their effort with a 46-yard field goal of their own.
Then, Manning scored on a 2-yard run to give Texas an early lead of 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Manning made a 50-yard pass to Ryan Wingo, and Michael Terry scored a 2-yard run to increase Texas' score to 24-3.
Chambliss completed only 6 of 18 passes for 63 yards in the first half and was intercepted twice, once by Justin Cryer, which was Texas's first takeaway in SEC play.
Ole Miss drove to the Texas 2-yard line late in the half but turned the ball over on downs when Chambliss was picked off again.
It was all a different story from there. During Ole Miss’ first drive of the half, defensive end Kam Franklin of Ole Miss sacked Manning inside his own end zone, and the fumble was recovered by Franklin for a touchdown.
With that play, the Rebels were once again within reach of the Longhorns, now trailing 24-10.
The third quarter was all about Texas failing to gain much yardage, as Texas managed to gain only 19 yards in the quarter.
In the meantime, Chambliss completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Horatio Fields, and a 27-yarder to him near the start of the fourth quarter tied the game at 24-24. The Rebels had rallied up with 21 straight points. Manning also had to leave the game momentarily for a medical examination after being hard-sacked.
Through his efforts, Manning took his teammates on an 80-yard drive, which concluded with a touchdown run using the bootleg play from 1 yard out in 8:10 time, giving the Longhorns the lead by 31-24.
Spetic made another field goal in the game by successfully booting a 33-yarder, resulting in a 34-24 score with 2:30 to go in the game.
Lucas Carneiro responded to Spetic's field goal with one of his own by nailing a 39-yard field goal. The Rebels were able to recover the subsequent onside kick and kept possession at their 37-yard line with 1:20 left in the game.
The Rebels moved into Texas territory, but at the end of the drive, Chambliss' pass attempt into the end zone was intercepted by a Texas player. Manning said that he was pacing and praying as Ole Miss was moving downfield in the possession.
The box score shows the reversal in momentum:
- Yards total: Texas 419, Ole Miss 363.
- Rushing: Texas gained 207 yards and scored three touchdowns, while Ole Miss rushed for 113 yards.
- Turnovers: Three by both sides. Chambliss threw three interceptions, while Manning was responsible for two interceptions and one fumble.
- Penalties: Texas incurred a season-high 14 penalties for 134 yards, while Ole Miss incurred 8 penalties for 58 yards.
- Chambliss: 25-of-52 for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
- Manning: 18-of-30 for 212 yards, one touchdown, and two rushing touchdowns.
With this win, Texas is kept in the discussion for the SEC, and Manning and Sarkisian get some breathing room even though the manner in which the Longhorns let their 21-point lead slip away should concern them.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the team is still living on the edge and always just one play away from disaster. Penalties and mistakes by special teams were again a problem.
With this loss, Ole Miss falls to a record of 5-2 and 3-2 in the SEC, and any hope of a perfect season in the conference comes to an end. Chambliss proved that he could orchestrate a comeback, but throwing three interceptions against the struggling Longhorn defense was too many mistakes.
Texas will play Mississippi State at home on Saturday, October 31, while traveling to Missouri on November 7 and LSU on November 14.
The Longhorns will host Arkansas on November 21 and end their regular season at Texas A&M on November 27.
