Arch Manning and No. 16 Texas State rival spoils perfect season

AUSTIN, Texas – Arch Manning threw a touchdown pass and ran for the clinching score late in the fourth quarter and No. 16 Texas beat No. 3 Texas A&M 27-17 on Friday night, ending the Aggies’ undefeated season and knocking them out of the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Manning’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo in the third quarter gave Texas (9-3, 6-2 SEC, No. 16 CFP) a 13-10 lead in what was a tight, defensive game. His 35-yard run up the middle on third down with 7:04 left to play put the Longhorns up 27-17.

Texas, which began the season ranked No. 1 and was unseeded at one point, defeated a top-10 opponent for the third time this season to keep alive any hopes of making the College Football Playoff for a third straight time.

The Aggies (11-1, 7-1, No. 3 CFP) are all but assured of their first playoff berth, but a loss to their biggest rival will hurt the program for a long time. Texas A&M has never played for an SEC title since joining the league in the 2012 season.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcell Reed, who has emerged as a late-season Heisman Trophy contender and led the Aggies in a stunning second-half rally against South Carolina two weeks ago, threw two fourth-quarter interceptions against the Longhorns, one of them at the Texas 3.

Texas A&M led 10-3 at halftime before Texas took control with 17 consecutive points in the third quarter.

The Aggies pulled to 20-17 before Manning’s big TD run. Facing third-and-short, Manning ran down the right side of the line, found a seam to slide into the secondary, and held onto the ball as he crossed the goal line past a passing defender.

Texas A&M: The Aggies couldn’t find any rally magic this time as the offense ground to a close with three quick punts in the decisive third quarter.

Texas: A run game that has been missing for most of the season faded in the second half as Texas took control. Quintrevion Wiser rushed for a season-high 155 yards.

Texas A&M: Awaits final CFP rankings on Dec. 7.

Texas: Awaits its ballgame destination with an eye on the CFP rankings.