No. 7 Ole Miss had a golden opportunity to tie No. 19 Texas late in the game, but a truly head-scratching tactical decision by coach Pete Golding flipped the script, leading to a crushing 34-27 defeat. You just can’t make this stuff up, because it meant Ole Miss, after a massive comeback, threw away their best chance to upset a top team.
Arch Manning Saved The Day, But Texas Almost Imploded
The Longhorns, ranked No. 19, came out absolutely blazing, building a commanding 24-3 lead at halftime. You’d think they had it in the bag, right? Wrong. They proceeded to give up 21 straight points in the second half, letting No. 7 Ole Miss roar back and tie the game. It was a complete meltdown, a 21-point lead evaporating like that? Talk about giving your fans a heart attack! But then, with just 8:04 left on the clock, Arch Manning came through, punching in a short touchdown run to put Texas back on top, 31-24. He literally snatched victory from the jaws of a total collapse.
The Head-Scratching Call That Sank Ole Miss
After Manning’s clutch score, Ole Miss got a lucky break, starting their drive on the 47-yard line thanks to a late hit penalty on the kickoff. They clawed their way to the Texas 41-yard line, but faced a crucial fourth-and-10, still trailing by seven with a little over six minutes to go. And this is where it gets wild. Instead of going for it, or even punting to pin Texas deep, Coach Golding sent out Lucas Carneiro for a 58-yard field goal attempt. A 58-yarder! To cut the lead to four! With so much time left, you’d think they’d punt, or maybe even take a delay of game penalty to get a better punt position, which the source called a “defensible decision.” But no, Golding even used his first timeout to let Carneiro try the kick. And guess what? It was blocked. Texas then chewed up nearly four minutes off the clock, and Gianni Spetic drilled a short field goal, making it a two-possession game. That blocked kick, man, it sucked all the air out of Ole Miss’s comeback hopes.
A Wild Comeback Bid That Fell Short
Even after that bizarre call and the blocked kick, Ole Miss still had a pulse. Inside the final two minutes, they managed to kick another field goal, cutting the lead back to seven. Then, in a moment of sheer desperation, they actually recovered an onside kick after it bounced off multiple players! The stadium must’ve gone nuts. But here’s the kicker: they had no timeouts left. Zero. Despite getting the ball all the way down to the Texas 24-yard line, the clock became their ultimate enemy. Trinidad Chambliss tried a last-gasp pass into the end zone, but it was intercepted, sealing the deal for Texas. What a finish to a truly bizarre game.
This game was an absolute roller coaster for everyone watching. Texas survived, but they almost let a huge lead slip away. Ole Miss, on the other hand, is going to be reliving that blocked 58-yard field goal decision for a long, long time. You gotta wonder how that kind of call impacts a team moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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