AUSTIN, Texas (Interstat) — In a stunning offensive showcase that defied pregame projections, Arch Manning threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns to lead Texas to a 34-31 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 102,338 at a raucous DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The game, a shootout between two of the Southeastern Conference’s emerging powers, saw the Longhorns survive a furious fourth-quarter comeback by the Commodores, who scored 21 points in the final period. The win moved both teams to 7-2 on the season.

Manning, the Texas quarterback from New Orleans, was surgical, completing 25 of 33 passes. His favorite target was Emmett Mosley V, who caught seven passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. Manning’s first pass of the game set the tone, a 75-yard touchdown strike to Ryan Wingo just 11 seconds in, answering an inexplicable pre-game deficit indicated in the official play-by-play.

Texas dominated the first half, building a 24-10 lead. After the quick-strike touchdown to Wingo, the Longhorns added a 39-yard field goal from Mason Shipley and a 6-yard touchdown pass from Manning to CJ Baxter. Vanderbilt managed a 44-yard field goal from B. Taylor in the second quarter, but Texas responded with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Quintrevion Wisner to extend its lead.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who amassed 365 yards through the air and three touchdowns while adding 43 yards on the ground, began to find his rhythm just before halftime. He engineered a two-minute drill, capping it with an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eli Stowers with 11 seconds left in the half, cutting the deficit to 24-17.

The Longhorns stretched their lead back to two scores in the third quarter. Manning connected with Mosley on a 6-yard touchdown pass, and Shipley later added a 37-yard field goal to make it 34-17 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Commodores, who mounted a relentless comeback. Pavia first scrambled for a 25-yard touchdown run, though the two-point conversion failed. After a missed 51-yard field goal by Shipley, Pavia found Stowers on a deep 67-yard touchdown pass. A successful trick-play two-point conversion, a pass from wide receiver Junior Sherrill, brought Vanderbilt within three points at 34-31 with 3:54 remaining.

Vanderbilt’s defense forced a punt, giving Pavia one final chance with 2:56 left. He methodically moved the Commodores down the field, and with 33 seconds on the clock, he hit wide receiver Richie Hoskins with an 8-yard touchdown pass to seemingly take the lead. However, a holding penalty nullified the score. Three plays later, on the game’s final snap, Pavia found Hoskins again for an 8-yard touchdown, but the clock had expired during the play, securing the Texas victory.

Stowers, a quarterback-turned-tight end playing in his home state, was spectacular for Vanderbilt, hauling in seven receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. The Texas defense was led by Derek Williams Jr., who recorded eight tackles, and a pass rush that collected five sacks, with Colin Simmons, Trey Moore, Ethan Burke, Anthony Hill Jr., and Brad Spence all getting to Pavia.

The result was a stark contrast to pregame analytics, as Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 38-15 Texas win and gave the Longhorns a 91.8% probability of victory. The combined 65 points also sailed over the posted over/under line of 46.5.