Arch Manning threw three interceptions at LSU on Saturday night and still walked out of Tiger Stadium a winner. With three seconds left, the Texas quarterback found running back Raleek Brown for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the No. 6 Longhorns a 22-21 win in Baton Rouge.
The official box score from Texas athletics shows how close the night came to going the other way. Manning finished 19 of 35 for 174 yards, one touchdown pass and three picks, and Texas trailed 21-13 after three quarters in front of 102,321 fans.
The 12-play march that won it
Texas got the ball back at its own 42-yard line with 2:19 to play, down 21-16. What followed, play by play from the official log:
- Manning completed 6 of 8 passes on that possession for 51 yards, after going 13 of 27 for 123 yards before it.
- Wide receiver Ryan Wingo caught four of those balls for 42 yards, including a 19-yarder that set up first down at the LSU 16 with 22 seconds left.
- Manning also ran twice for 11 yards, the second a 7-yard scramble on third down that moved the ball to the 4 with nine seconds remaining.
- After an incompletion, he hit Brown on the left side for the score. The two-point try failed, so the margin stayed at one.
The whole march covered 58 yards in 2:16. One review nearly ended it early: a Wingo catch at the 11 was first ruled a fumble recovered by LSU, then overturned when replay showed he was down by contact.
How Texas stayed close
Two LSU interceptions by safety Ty Benefield set up trouble for Texas, and one of them, returned 31 yards to the Texas 7, led straight to an LSU touchdown. But the Longhorns’ defense matched the giveaways. Linebacker Jelani McDonald picked off LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt three times, twice in the end zone or at the goal line, and LSU missed a 38-yard field goal as the first half ended.
Kicker Gianni Spetic made all three of his attempts, from 42, 41 and 50 yards, which kept Texas within reach until the final drive. LSU running back Dilin Jones had 125 rushing yards, including a 44-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Where it leaves Texas
The win lifts Texas to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. Both losses came by three points, 27-24 to Oklahoma in Dallas and 27-24 to Florida in Austin. This is also the second time this season Manning has delivered a one-point win: Texas beat then-No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 in September.
Manning, a nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, comes from one of the best-known quarterback families in the sport; the Badiyaa archive has more on Peyton Manning’s recent duet with Riley Green. For more college football, read how Philip Rivers signed to coach NC State, or see the Badiyaa sports page.
Texas host Arkansas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 21, at 2:30 p.m. Central, then close the regular season at Texas A&M on Friday, November 27.
Image: Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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