Arch Manning threw three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score to Raleek Brown in the fourth quarter, to lead No. 7 Texas to a 34-20 victory at No. 18 Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday.
Brown scored twice overall, both in the fourth quarter, and rushed for 85 yards in a key game for College Football Playoff positioning.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Derrek Cooper also scored on passes from Manning, helping Texas (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) set up another pivotal conference game at LSU next week.
The Longhorns made several big plays on defense in the second half, including a sack by Colton Vasek and a forced fumble by Warren Roberson late in the fourth quarter that helped end Missouri’s chances. They also limited SEC rushing leader Jamal Roberts to 66 yards on 19 carries.
Naeshaun Montgomery scored on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Austin Simmons for Missouri (6-3, 3-3), which missed two field-goal attempts and had multiple drives stall in the first half. The Tigers will play at No. 2 Georgia next week.
Missouri’s defense forced two turnovers, had three sacks and were credited with nine tackles for loss but also allowed multiple big plays to Manning and Brown in the second half.
Vasek’s sack with nine minutes left pushed Missouri back 10 yards to its 5-yard line. The Tigers punted two plays later, giving Texas the ball at its 46 with the score tied 20-20.
Brown touched the ball five times on the ensuing Longhorns go-ahead drive. On second-and-13, Manning lofted a pass to him down the right sideline after Brown easily beat his defender. Gianni Spetic’s PAT kick after the 23-yard score made it 27-20 with 5:03 to go.
After the teams traded punts, Simmons completed a short pass to Caden Lee for a first down near midfield, but Roberson popped the ball loose and Graceon Littleton plucked it out of the air. Littleton returned the fumble 44 yards to the Mizzou 6 with 1:41 to go.
The Horns burned a few seconds, along with Mizzou’s final timeout, before Brown charged into the end zone from 8 yards out with 1:25 left in the fourth.
Missouri broke a 13-13 tie with 4:52 left in the third quarter on a spectacular individual play by Montgomery.
After a short pass to the sideline from Simmons and a missed tackle by Jelani McDonald near the Mizzou 35, Montgomery tiptoed along the boundary, keeping his balance before turning on the speed and completing his first collegiate touchdown.
Manning responded by hitting a wide-open Bishop for a 25-yard touchdown to tie it at 20 with 1:52 to go in the third.
Manning finished 28 of 38 for 297 yards, while Simmons went 23 of 43 for 252 yards
–Field Level Media
