Top-ranked Texas is enjoying its turn in the spotlight atop the college football world, but the Longhorns know they can’t afford to look past undefeated UTSA on Saturday in Austin in their final nonconference game in the run-up to the Southeastern Conference gauntlet.
The Longhorns (2-0) ascended to the top spot in this week’s Associated Press poll after a stirring 24-23 comeback win at home over then-No. 1 Ohio State on Sept. 12. It’s the third time in as many seasons that Texas has spent at least a week atop the AP rankings.
“(We) understand the ranking doesn’t matter,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. “If anything, all the ranking does is put a bigger bullseye on you, right? How we perform is what matters the most. How you prepare, mentally, physically, emotionally, to get ready to play.”
Hollywood Smothers produced the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 25 seconds to play after Arch Manning came alive in the fourth quarter to pull Texas out of a 20-point hole. Texas, then ranked fourth, had three straight touchdown drives to end the game, all of at least 12 plays and 72 yards.
With the come-from-behind win, the Longhorns matched their second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in program history, equaling one from 2007 against Oklahoma State. They also became the first team to erase a 20-point deficit against an AP No. 1 team over the last 22 seasons, snapping a stretch of 197 games.
Manning finished 23-for-37 passing with 195 yards and a touchdown, with 83 of those yards and the TD coming in the fourth quarter. For his efforts, he was named Southeastern Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Sarkisian spoke Monday about how his team needs to improve, centering on the mistakes (a lost fumble, an interception and a dropped TD pass — all in the first half) that necessitated the Longhorns’ eventual comeback.
“Our ball security is awful right now,” Sarkisian said. “We take pride in our ability to take care of the ball. It wasn’t just about the turnovers. It was the other fumbles and the muffed punt. So we have got to value the football more in the organization than we have through two games.”
The Longhorns are also tied for last in the SEC in third-down conversions allowed, with opponents making the line to gain at a 50% clip. “Third down defense has to improve,” Sarkisian said. “We’re too good up front with our pass rushes. We’re too good with our coverages to be last in the Southeastern Conference in third down defense right now.”
The Roadrunners (2-0) also had a rousing comeback on Sept. 12, as they head north up I-35 on the strength of a 31-26 win on the road over Texas State. Brandon High Jr. ran 25 yards for a score with 14 seconds remaining to cap a 14-play, 82-yard march.
Owen McCown threw for 214 yards and a touchdown for UTSA in the win, which was the 100th all-time in school history. The Roadrunners won their first two games in a season for the first time since 2021, when they reeled off 11 victories to start that campaign.
“The win gives us a ton of momentum and kind of lifted that road-game, two-minute-drill persona off our back a little bit,” McCown said. “For it to happen the way it did is super special.”
Winning in Austin will be a bigger challenge for UTSA, with Texas defeating the Roadrunners both times they’ve met on the gridiron. The teams last played in 2024 when the Longhorns routed UTSA 56-7.