ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS FOOTBALL
Arkansas Game Report
Second-half surge lifts Razorbacks past Texas 24-23 for third straight conference win
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas - Arkansas spent the first half Saturday looking like a team in danger of letting a winnable game get away. By the end of the night, the Razorbacks looked like something else entirely, a team that has learned how to win.
Arkansas erased an 11-point halftime deficit, forced two crucial Arch Manning fumbles and rode a dominant performance from Quincy Rhodes Jr. to a 24-23 win over Texas, giving the Razorbacks their third consecutive conference victory and their seventh win of a remarkable turnaround season under head coach Ryan Silverfield.
A year after Arkansas won just two games in 2025, the Razorbacks are now 7-win team, and this one may have provided the clearest evidence yet of how dramatically the program has changed.
"Total culture change," Rhodes said afterward.
The senior defensive end would know. Rhodes was nearly unblockable against the Longhorns, piling up eight tackles, six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while repeatedly wrecking Texas possessions. His final sack came with 25 seconds remaining and Arkansas clinging to a one-point lead, putting Texas behind schedule with no timeouts and helping extinguish the Longhorns' final chance.
Rhodes credited Silverfield for changing the direction of the program, but reserved particular praise for defensive coordinator Porter Davis, who Rhodes said has transformed both his confidence and the mentality of the Arkansas defense.
"He’s instilled confidence in the entire defensive unit and made me a better player," Rhodes said.
Then came a smile.
"I might have to buy him a Cadillac or something when I get drafted now."
If Rhodes keeps playing like this, he may have the money to do it.
Already climbing draft boards, Rhodes delivered the type of nationally visible performance against Texas that will be difficult for NFL scouts to ignore.
Arkansas actually struck first, with Max Gilbert connecting from 31 yards at the 7:59 mark of the opening quarter. But Texas answered almost immediately.
Manning found Ryan Wingo for a 44-yard touchdown just 59 seconds later, and Gianni Spetic's 35-yard field goal stretched the Texas advantage to 10-3.
Gilbert kept Arkansas within striking distance with a 37-yarder early in the second quarter, but the Razorbacks struggled to turn defensive stops into offensive momentum.
That frustration appeared to boil over on the Arkansas sideline late in the half.
After Davis' defense forced a Texas punt, offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey's unit quickly gave the ball right back with a three-and-out that included a draw play on third-and-long. Cameras caught Davis and Cramsey in a tense sideline exchange afterward.
Spetic's 48-yard field goal made it 13-6 before Manning found Wingo again, this time from 11 yards out with 35 seconds remaining, seemingly sending Texas into halftime with complete control.
Gilbert salvaged three points with a 26-yard field goal as time expired, but Texas still carried a 20-9 advantage into the locker room.
Whatever was said there apparently worked.
Davis and Cramsey were seen talking at length as the Razorbacks returned for the second half, and both coordinators later downplayed the earlier exchange.
"Two passionate guys coaching hard and pushing each other," Davis said.
Cramsey echoed the sentiment, and Arkansas' second-half performance provided plenty of evidence that the disagreement hadn't fractured anything.
Instead, the Razorbacks came out of halftime looking like a different team.
The defense forced a Texas punt to begin the second half, and KJ Jackson responded by leading Arkansas on the touchdown drive it desperately needed.
Jackson, who struggled against South Carolina last week, was considerably sharper against the Longhorns. The sophomore completed 18 of 25 passes for 217 yards without a turnover, including a 4-yard touchdown to Donovan Faupel with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter.
The ensuing two-point attempt failed, leaving Texas ahead 20-15.
Then Arkansas' defense took over.
Manning broke from the pocket on Texas' next possession, but cornerback Jaheim Johnson delivered a violent hit that knocked the football loose. The ball popped into the air, where John Howse IV, already the author of two key interceptions in Arkansas' win last week, plucked it out for another enormous takeaway.
Arkansas turned the turnover into Gilbert's fourth field goal of the night, a 26-yarder that cut the deficit to 20-18 with 1:29 remaining in the third.
Howse wasn't finished.
On Texas' next possession, he came screaming into the backfield and dropped Manning for a sack, helping force another Longhorn punt. Howse finished with 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
The Arkansas offense couldn't capitalize, eventually punting it back, and Texas finally stabilized long enough for Spetic to hit a 27-yard field goal with 6:05 remaining.
Texas led 23-18.
The Razorbacks needed a touchdown.
Arkansas methodically moved the football on its next possession before Sutton Smith suddenly found the opening the Razorbacks had been waiting for.
Smith burst through the Texas defense and raced 41 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:23 remaining, turning an 11-point halftime deficit into a 24-23 Arkansas lead.
For the second time in the half, Arkansas failed on a two-point conversion.
That left no margin for error.
Texas began moving the ball on its ensuing possession, and with Manning at quarterback, the Longhorns appeared capable of getting Spetic into position for a potential game-winning field goal.
Then Johnson struck again.
In an almost perfect replay of his earlier takeaway, Johnson jarred the football loose from Manning for his second forced fumble of the game. This time, Johnson recovered it himself.
Arkansas couldn't completely close the door. The Razorbacks eventually punted, leaving Texas one final opportunity with 25 seconds remaining.
Rhodes made sure it went nowhere.
The senior pinned his ears back on first down and buried Manning for his 3.5th sack of the night. With no timeouts remaining, Texas was forced to scramble back to the line. Manning managed two desperation throws, but both fell incomplete.
Ballgame.
The final numbers told the story of how Arkansas survived.
Texas averaged 9.6 yards per pass and Manning threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, with Wingo accounting for six catches, 130 yards and both scores. Wingo did the bulk of his damage in the first half, catching only two passes after halftime adjustments by the Arkansas defense.
The Razorbacks essentially eliminated the Longhorn running game, holding Texas to just 53 yards on 22 carries.
Manning accounted for only 10 rushing yards on 10 attempts and lost both of Texas' turnovers.
Arkansas, meanwhile, finished with 387 yards of offense and held the advantage in time of possession. Braylen Russell narrowly missed another 100-yard performance, carrying 21 times for 99 yards, while Jackson added 27 yards on the ground.
Faupel led Arkansas with 70 receiving yards and the touchdown, followed by Jamari Hawkins with five catches for 53 yards and Jaden Platt with four for 50.
But the night belonged to the defense.
Miguel Mitchell and Howse each recorded 10 tackles. Rhodes had six of Arkansas' 12 tackles for loss by himself. Johnson forced both Texas turnovers. Howse recovered one of them and added a sack. The Razorbacks finished with five sacks overall and held Texas to 3-of-9 on third down.
Most importantly, Arkansas' defense allowed only three points after halftime.
That gave Jackson and the offense enough time to recover from a difficult opening half. After his struggles a week earlier, Jackson played efficient, turnover-free football and completed 72 percent of his passes. Arkansas didn't commit a turnover all night.
The Razorbacks weren't perfect. They settled for four Gilbert field goals, converted just 4-of-13 third downs and failed on both two-point attempts. Texas actually averaged slightly more yards per play, 6.4 to 6.3.
None of it mattered when the game reached its defining moments.
Arkansas made them. Texas didn't.
And for a program that went 2-10 in 2025, perhaps nothing illustrates the transformation under Silverfield and his staff better than that.
The Razorbacks aren't simply competitive anymore.
At 7 wins, riding a three-game conference winning streak and now carrying a road victory over Texas, they've learned how to finish.
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER
ARK — Max Gilbert 31-yard FG, 7:59
TEX — Ryan Wingo 44-yard pass from Arch Manning (Gianni Spetic kick), 7:00
TEX — Gianni Spetic 35-yard FG, 3:46
SECOND QUARTER
ARK — Max Gilbert 37-yard FG, 9:56
TEX — Gianni Spetic 48-yard FG, 2:54
TEX — Ryan Wingo 11-yard pass from Arch Manning (Gianni Spetic kick), 0:35
ARK — Max Gilbert 26-yard FG, 0:01
THIRD QUARTER
ARK — Donovan Faupel 4-yard pass from KJ Jackson (2-point conversion failed), 4:13
ARK — Max Gilbert 26-yard FG, 1:29
FOURTH QUARTER
TEX — Gianni Spetic 27-yard FG, 6:05
ARK — Sutton Smith 41-yard run (2-point conversion failed), 3:23
Arkansas Stat Leaders
Passing
K. Jackson – 18/25 217 Yds 1 TD
Rushing
B. Russell – 21 Car 99 Yds
S. Smith – 7 Car 43 Yds 1 TD
K. Jackson – 7 Car 27 Yds
J. Hawkins – 1 Car 1 Yd
Receiving
D. Faupel – 4 Rec 70 Yds 1 TD
J. Hawkins – 5 Rec 53 Yds
J. Platt – 4 Rec 50 Yds
C. Marshall – 3 Rec 24 Yds
S. Smith – 2 Rec 20 Yds
Defense
M. Mitchell – 10 Tkl 1 TFL
J. Howse IV – 10 Tkl 3 TFL 1.0 Sck 1 FR
Q. Rhodes Jr. – 8 Tkl 6 TFL 3.5 Sck
C. Stoutmire – 5 Tkl
J. Johnson – 5 Tkl 2 FF
C. Brown – 4 Tkl
L. Roland – 3 Tkl 1 TFL
K. House – 3 Tkl
S. Lewis – 3 Tkl 1 TFL 0.5 Sck
B. Bogle – 2 Tkl
D. Oke – 2 Tkl
H. Osborne – 2 Tkl
Texas Stat Leaders
Passing
A. Manning – 18/27 260 Yds 2 TD
Rushing
H. Smothers – 12 Car 43 Yds
A. Manning – 10 Car 10 Yds
Receiving
R. Wingo – 6 Rec 130 Yds 2 TD
C. Coleman – 5 Rec 51 Yds
E. Mosley V – 2 Rec 37 Yds
N. Townsend – 3 Rec 30 Yds
H. Smothers – 1 Rec 11 Yds
M. Masunas – 1 Rec 1 Yd
Defense
R. Biles – 17 Tkl 2 TFL 0.5 Sck
J. McDonald – 11 Tkl
D. Williams Jr. – 10 Tkl
X. Filsaime – 8 Tkl 1 TFL
C. Simmons – 7 Tkl 3 TFL 2.0 Sck
I. Geffrard – 6 Tkl 2 TFL
B. Mascoe – 5 Tkl
K. Phillips – 5 Tkl
G. Littleton – 4 Tkl
H. Kanu – 4 Tkl 1 TFL 0.5 Sck
B. Spence – 3 Tkl 1 TFL
A. January – 2 Tkl 1 TFL 0.5 Sck
| Team Stats | Arkansas | Texas |
|---|
| Score | 24 | 23 |
| First Downs | 19 | 15 |
| Total Offense | 387 | 313 |
| Total Plays | 61 | 49 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| Rushes | Yards | TDs | 36 | 170 | 1 | 22 | 53 | 0 |
| Yards Per Rush | 4.7 | 2.4 |
| Comp | Att | TDs | 18 | 25 | 1 | 19 | 27 | 2 |
| Passing Yards | 217 | 260 |
| Yards Per Pass | 8.7 | 9.6 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 4 | 13 (30%) | 3 | 9 (33%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 2 | 3 (66%) | 0 | 0 (0%) |
| 2-Point Conv. | 0 | 2 (0%) | 0 | 0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD | FG | % | 1 | 3 | 80% | 1 | 3 | 80% |
| Turnovers | 0 (+2) | 2 (-2) |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| PR Yards | 22 | 10 |
| KR Yards | 19 | 100 |
| Total Yards | 428 | 423 |
| Punt Average | 46.3 | 61.0 |
| Penalties | 2 | 20 | 1 | 5 |
| Possession Time | 21:41 | 18:19 |
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