College Football continues to deliver weekly Cliff Hangers throughout October, as the Texas LongHorns down Ole Miss in an Epic Heavyweight Match Up that came down to the wire… With One Second on the Clock.
As the old saying goes – ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ – Head Coach Steve Sarkisian and Quarterback Arch Manning feeling every ounce of it during the lead up to this weeks contest against Ole Mississippi on Home Turf at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX.
The pair faced serious criticism after back-to-back losses against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (L 27-24) and the Florida Gators (L 20-19), with many fearing that today could be more of the same against a strong Ole Miss Outfit.
Pete Golding (Ole Miss Head Coach) and the consensus best Quarterback in the Country, Trinidad Chambliss are no stranger to big time victory’s, notching up South Eastern Conference wins against Louisville (W 41-38), and getting the better of the LSU Tigers (W 32-24) in a heated rivalry against former Coach Lane Kiffin after he abandoned the program in the middle of the 2025 College Football Playoffs to coach Louisiana.
However, even with polar opposite storylines leading into tonight’s competition, and after a game that was truly “two halves” of football, the questions surrounding Sarkisian and Manning were answered within the first quarter.
After knocking over a 23 yard field goal, Arch Manning led the team on a 75 yard drive before taking matters into his own hands and scoring the first touchdown in the last minute of the 1st Quarter, extending the Texas lead to 10-3.
The 2nd Quarter commenced in the same fashion with Manning connecting with Wide Receiver Ryan Wingo for a 50 yard Touchdown in the opening sequence of play, Ginanni Spetic icing the extra point putting the Longhorns further out in front to 17-3.
Then 3 minutes later, Michael Terry III turned the wheels over 2 yards out from the End Zone walking in untouched for another Longhorns TD. Texas up 24-3 heading into Half Time.
Although it seemed like nothing could stop the Texas onslaught, The Second Half was a totally different story, as Trinidad Chambliss showed why many have labelled him as the overall QB1 in College Football.
The Third Quarter turned the Dream into a Nightmare for Texas, as the Rebels Defense managed to Sack Manning, force a fumble, and recover the football in the End Zone for a Touchdown, narrowing the gap to 24-10 in favour of the Home Team.
Chambliss, feeling the energy from his defense, backed up their efforts with a big drive of his own, eventually finding Horatio Fields for a 6 pointer, Ole Miss now trailing 24-17, with a huge final 15 minutes to play.
The connection between Chambliss and Fields continued in opening minutes of the Fourth Quarter, after a string of Defensive Penalties and 2 explosive Rebels plays, Horatio Fields secured his 2nd TD of the game after a 27 yard laser from Number 6. The game tied at 24-24 with plenty of football to be played.
Now, if you’re a die hard Texas Fan (like myself), at this point you’re thinking “Here we go again!” And instead of getting ready to storm the field in victory, you’re getting ready to leave early and beat the traffic.
But for the Longhorn Faithful, we live by the saying – “In Manning We Trust.”
For Number #16, proudly wearing the Burnt Orange and White, this was a chance at redemption. Run after run after run after run, and the Longhorns found themselves 1 yard out from the End Zone. Keeping the ball on the ground, Manning took a leaf out of Uncle Peyton’s Playbook, faking the handoff, and waltzing across the white line with miles of daylight in front of him. The score now 31-24.
With plenty of time and the game still in reach for Chambliss and the Rebels, the only thing Ole Miss needed was to get within striking distance and land a field goal right? WRONG! After Commentators Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit praised Kicker Lucas Carneiro, Texas Special Teams managed BLOCK the field goal attempt from Carneiro, keeping the score as is.
A few moments later, Kicker Gianni Spetic returned to the field to increase the lead to 34-21 slotting a 44 yarder with ease.
It was decision time for Ole Miss as the 2 minute warning passed for both teams. Coach Pete Golding opting to take 3 points on offer to make it a one score game at 34-27 with just over 90 seconds remaining.
With the game on the line and two kickers on the field, the Rebels changed their arm (and foot) at an onside kick. And would you believe it? IT WORKED! Regathering the kickoff with just over a minute to work, Chambliss came back into the game for one final opportunity at a game winning drive.
With the anxiety soaring, excitement pulsing through the veins of both Rebels and Longhorn Fans, a 10 play drive, and ONE SECOND left- it all came down to the Final Play.
Needing a Touchdown and 2 Point Conversion to send Texas Home with their tails between their legs, Chambliss aired out a Hail Mary for the ages in hopes that one of his star receivers would bail him (and the Rebels) out of trouble and into Ole Miss Infamy.
But it wasn’t to be.
Intercepted by the stout Texas Defense, the Longhorns held on to win 34-27 in this Thriller in Austin, both Texas and Ole Miss securing 5-2 records in Week 8, after tonight’s outcome.
While the Longhorns had their fanbase on the edge of their seats for the entirety of this game, one thing is certain- This Texas Football Team is Serious. On their best day they’ve proven they can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime. With a few wrinkles to iron out leading into crunch time of the College Football Season, Coach Sark and Arch Manning will no doubt return next week looking to build on this great victory.
And although it wasn’t the prettiest of wins we’ve witnessed in Texas, it was certainly one we’ll all remember in years to come.
Because like The Texas Longhorn Himself, Matthew McConaughey once said “You gotta take the Thorns with the Roses, and the Horns with the Wins” this Texas Team has proven there’s plenty of work to be done before they receive their flowers at the end of the season- and that takes Character.
Hook Em Baby!
-MCT 🤘