Arch Manning and No. 10 Texas spent most of Saturday afternoon trading punches with No. 19 Missouri. Then the Longhorns landed the last three. Texas scored 21 unanswered points over the final quarter and a half to beat the Tigers 34-20 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The win lifted Texas, No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC. It was the Longhorns’ third straight victory. Missouri, No. 18 in the CFP rankings, fell to 6-3 and 3-3 in conference play.
How the game unfolded
Missouri struck first when quarterback Austin Simmons found Brett Norfleet for a 2-yard touchdown. Manning answered with a 24-yard scoring pass to freshman running back Derrek Cooper, and Blake Craig’s 22-yard field goal put the Tigers up 10-7 after one quarter. A 27-yard Gianni Spectic field goal tied it 10-10 at halftime.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth swing. Craig and Spectic traded field goals, and then Simmons connected with Naeshaun Montgomery on a touchdown play of more than 70 yards, with Montgomery spinning free from a Texas defender and racing to the end zone. That gave Missouri a 20-13 lead.
Then came the call that Missouri fans will be talking about for a while. On third-and-10 from the Missouri 39, Manning was hit as he threw, and the ball bounced downfield. Most players treated it as an incomplete pass, but officials ruled it a fumble, and Texas’ Emmett Mosley V scooped it up for a first down. Replays appeared to show Manning’s arm moving forward, yet the replay review upheld the ruling. Three plays later, Manning hit freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20 as the quarter ended.
The Associated Press noted that all five video reviews in the game went against Missouri. The Tigers also hurt themselves, with Craig missing a short field goal in the first half.
Texas closes it out
From there, the Texas defense took over. Missouri managed just 16 yards on 14 plays over its four drives after Bishop’s touchdown, according to Yahoo Sports. With 5:03 left, Manning found running back Raleek Brown on a wheel route for a 23-yard touchdown and the Longhorns’ first lead of the day.
In the final two minutes, a hard hit on a Missouri third-down pass knocked the ball loose and Texas defensive back Graceson Littleton came away with it. Brown then sealed the game with an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining.
By the numbers
- Arch Manning: 28 of 38 passing for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
- Raleek Brown: 85 rushing yards on 17 carries, 48 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
- Austin Simmons: 252 passing yards and two touchdowns for Missouri.
- Jamal Roberts: The SEC’s leading rusher was held to 66 yards, well below his usual pace.
- Total offense: Texas 401 yards, Missouri 336. Texas went 4 for 4 in the red zone.
Texas linebacker Jonathan Cunningham also blocked a Missouri punt just before halftime, the program’s first blocked punt since November 2023, according to Texas Athletics. Cooper and Bishop became the first pair of Texas freshmen to each catch a touchdown pass against a ranked opponent in the same game since 2008.
Why it matters
With two losses already, Texas has little room for error. This was the Longhorns’ fourth win over an AP Top 25 team this season, and Texas Athletics says the program has now won six straight games against ranked opponents. Those are the kinds of wins the playoff selection committee notices.
For Missouri, the loss is costly. Yahoo Sports noted the Tigers still face No. 2 Georgia, No. 6 Kentucky and Oklahoma, making a playoff path with three losses very unlikely.
There was also some history in the matchup. It was the first meeting between the former Big 12 rivals since the 2017 Texas Bowl, and Texas’s first trip to Columbia since 2011, when Missouri won 17-5.
The result adds to a busy Saturday at the top of the rankings, which also saw No. 3 Utah rally past No. 9 BYU 28-20 to stay unbeaten. Tonight’s marquee games, including No. 1 Miami at Notre Dame and No. 2 Georgia at Ole Miss, could reshape the playoff picture even more.
Injury notes and what to watch next
Texas played without receiver Cam Coleman, who warmed up but sat out with a shoulder injury. Offensive tackle Trevor Goosby is out for the season with a knee injury, and edge rusher Colin Simmons, slowed by a high-ankle sprain, was used sparingly and watched most of the second half from the sideline, Yahoo Sports reported.
Texas faces another big test next Saturday, Nov. 14, at No. 15 LSU in Baton Rouge, with the game set for ABC. Missouri travels to No. 2 Georgia. Upstormed News will follow both teams as the playoff race heats up.
Why it matters for families
Missouri lost a close game partly on calls that went against it, a good conversation starter for families with young athletes about handling tough breaks with sportsmanship.
Read more: Jaguars rout Ravens 33-10 on Thursday night as Baltimore drops fourth straight
Was the Manning fumble call right, and can Texas win at LSU? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Texas Athletics, “No. 10/11/7 Football secures 34-20 victory at No. 19/19/18 Missouri” (November 7, 2026); Associated Press via Yahoo Sports, “No. 10 Texas scores three unanswered TDs in the second half to rally past No. 19 Missouri, 34-20” (November 7, 2026); Yahoo Sports, “No. 7 Texas takes advantage of controversial Arch Manning fumble and scores 21 straight to beat No. 18 Missouri 34-20” (November 7, 2026); ESPN, “Arch Manning, defense help No. 7 Texas rally past Missouri” (November 7, 2026); ESPN, “Texas 34-20 Missouri (Nov 7, 2026) Game Recap” (November 7, 2026)
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