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 Southeastern Conference play on Saturday afternoon.
Brown scored twice overall, both in the fourth quarter, and added 85 yards rushing in a key game for College Football Playoff position.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Derrek Cooper also scored on Manning passes, helping Texas (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) set up another tough 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 squash Missouri’s chances.
The Horns also limited SEC rushing leader Jamal Roberts to 66 yards on 19 carries.
Naeshaun Montgomery had a 72-yard touchdown catch from Austin Simmons for Missouri (6-3, 3-3), which missed opportunities to add points due to two field goals. The Tigers also had drives stall in the first half. Missouri plays at No. 2 Georgia next week.
On defense, the Tigers 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.
A 10-yard sack by Vasek disrupted a Mizzou drive deep in their own territory, eventually forcing a punt and giving Texas the ball near midfield with the score tied midway through the fourth quarter.
Brown touched the ball five times on the Longhorns’ go-ahead drive. On second-and-13, Manning lofted a pretty 23-yard pass to Brown down the right sideline after Brown easily beat the defender. Gianni Spetic’s kick made it 27-20 with 5:03 to go in the fourth.
After punts were traded, Simmons completed a short pass to Caden Lee for a first down near midfield, but Roberson popped the ball loose and it was picked from the air by Graceon Littleton, who returned it 44 yards to the Mizzou 6 with 1:41 to go.
The Horns killed a few seconds, along with the rest of Mizzou’s time outs, before Brown charged into the end zone from 8 yards away with 1:25 left in the fourth.
The score was 10-10 at halftime, and Missouri took a touchdown lead on a spectacular play by Montgomery with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
After a short sideline pass from Simmons and a missed tackle by Jelani McDonald near the Mizzou 35, Montgomery tip-toed without going out of bounds, keeping his balance before turning on the speed, and running a total of 72 yards for his first college touchdown.
Later, Manning hit 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 hit 23 of 43 for 252 yards
