Arch Manning found Raleek Brown for a 4-yard screen-pass touchdown with two seconds remaining to lift No. 6 Texas to a wild 22-21 win over No. 21 LSU on Saturday in a crucial Southeastern Conference dustup in Baton Rouge, La.
Manning engineered the game-winning drive that began at the Texas 42 with 2:19 remaining. The march helped him shrug off a miserable showing to that point as Manning finished 19 of 35 for 174 yards and three interceptions. Texas was limited to just 273 yards of total offense.
The win keeps the Longhorns (8-2, 5-2 SEC) in College Football Playoff position and was their fifth this season over a ranked opponent.
Dilin Jones ran for 125 yards and a 44-yard touchdown for LSU (6-4, 3-4), which will fall from the CFP rankings after back-to-back home losses. Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions, all by the Longhorns’ Jelani McDonald and two of which came in the end zone.
Texas took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in 11 snaps, capped by Manning’s 1-yard touchdown run at the 10:31 mark of the first quarter.
The Tigers responded with a 13-play, 75-yard march as Leavitt found Jackson Harris for a 10-yard scoring pass that knotted the game at 7-7 with 5:16 to play in the first quarter.
Five minutes into the second quarter, Ty Benefield intercepted Manning and returned the pick 31 yards to the Texas 7-yard line. Leavitt then found Harris again for a 9-yard TD pass that put the Tigers up 14-7 with 9:17 to play in the second quarter.
Texas answered with a 12-play, 50-yard march that resulted in a 42-yard field goal by Gianni Spetic to cull its deficit to four points with 3:22 to play until halftime.
Leavitt’s 173 passing yards in the first half more than doubled Manning’s 82.
Jones added to the LSU lead with his 44-yard touchdown run with 5:52 to play in the third quarter, making it 21-10.
Texas swung back with Spetic’s second field goal, this one from 41 yards with 1:35 to play in the third, and then his third, from 50 yards out, at the 11:37 mark of the fourth to trim the deficit to 21-16.
–Field Level Media
