Arch Manning passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to Raleek Brown with just over five minutes remaining, as No. 7 Texas rallied to defeat No. 18 Missouri 34-20 on Saturday and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Brown also ran for 85 yards and added the clinching touchdown on the ground, while the Longhorns (7-2, 4-2 SEC) produced a string of crucial defensive plays in the fourth quarter to secure their fourth victory over a top-20 opponent this season.
The decisive stop came as the Tigers (6-3, 3-3) tried to answer Brown's go-ahead score. Missouri took possession near midfield with about two minutes left, but after Jamal Roberts was held to a short gain and Austin Simmons threw incomplete, Simmons went for favorite target Cayden Lee on third down. A defender tipped the ball into the air as it arrived, and Texas cornerback Graceson Littleton pulled it down for an interception. Brown powered into the end zone moments later to seal the result.
Simmons finished with 252 passing yards and two touchdowns for Missouri, much of that total coming on a 75-yard scoring strike to Naeshaun Montgomery. Roberts, the SEC's leading rusher, was limited to 66 yards.
The game marked the first meeting between the former Big 12 rivals since the 2017 Texas Bowl, and the Longhorns' first visit to Columbia since 2011, when Missouri won a conference matchup by the unusual score of 17-5.
There was no shortage of oddities in this one either, including five video reviews that all went against the Tigers. The teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter and then exchanged field goals to reach halftime tied at 10. Both sides had early mistakes to regret: Ryan Wingo lost a fumble for Texas that set up Missouri's field goal, and Blake Craig missed a short kick midway through the second quarter that could have given the Tigers some breathing room.
With the score 13-13 in the third quarter, Missouri moved back in front when Montgomery spun away from Longhorns cornerback Jelani McDonald, stayed in bounds along his own sideline and raced untouched to complete a 75-yard touchdown.
Then came the strangest review of all. Manning threw incomplete on third-and-10 at the Missouri 39, but officials ruled the ball, thrown 14 yards downfield, was actually a fumble recovered by Texas for a first down. Replays appeared to confirm it was a pass, yet referee David Smith upheld the call. Three plays later, Manning found Jermaine Bishop Jr. from 25 yards out to make it 20-all as the third quarter ended.
The Texas defense then stiffened, forcing consecutive Missouri punts, and Manning capitalized. He lofted a pass down the sideline to Brown, who had come out of the backfield and run past linebacker Dante McClellan, and the running back hauled it in for the decisive touchdown with 5:03 to play.
