No. 7 Texas takes advantage of controversial Arch Manning fumble and scores 21 straight to beat No. 18 Missouri 34-20

· Yahoo Sports

Texas is still in the thick of the College Football Playoff race thanks to a controversial fumble call that will assuredly be deconstructed for days and weeks to come.

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The No. 7 Longhorns beat No. 18 Missouri 34-20 after what appeared to be a clear Arch Manning incomplete pass on third down was ruled a fumble in the third quarter. Three plays later, Texas (7-2) had the game tied at 20-20 on a 24-yard pass from Manning to Jermaine Bishop.

With 2:22 remaining in the third, Manning got hit in the arm as he tried to throw the ball downfield. After the ball hit the turf roughly 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, most players assumed it was an incomplete pass. However, Emmett Mosley V eventually picked up the ball.

That was critical. Officials did not rule that it was an incomplete pass on the field. And Mosley picked the ball up at the Missouri 25-yard line, four yards further than the line to gain for a first down.

As the play went to replay review, it was apparent to most in slow-motion that Manning still had the ball in his hand while his arm started to go forward. However, the SEC officiating crew and the replay booth ruled that the call on the field would be upheld.

Instead of a fourth-and-10 at the Missouri 39-yard line, where Texas could attempt a long field goal, punt or go for it while trailing 20-13, the Longhorns had a first down because of Mosley’s recovery.

According to college football’s rule book, “When a team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward toward the neutral zone, any intentional forward movement of the passer’s hand with the ball firmly in their control starts the forward pass unless the player clearly starts to bring the ball back with firm control to the passer’s body.”

Given that language in the rule book, the only possible explanation is that the replay officials felt that Manning had lost “firm” control at the time his arm was hit — even though the ball stayed in his hand for a split second as his arm went forward.

The game flipped after the fumble call. Bishop’s TD was the first of three unanswered scores for the Longhorns.

Manning found Raleek Brown on a wheel route down the sideline with 5:03 to for Texas’ first lead of the game and the eventual game-winning score.

Missouri (6-3) had a chance to tie or take the lead inside the final two minutes, but a third-down pass to Cayden Lee from Austin Simmons resulted in a fumble after Lee got hit hard right after the catch.

The ball flew into the air and was caught by Graceson Littleton, who slid to the ground before scoring to help the Longhorns bleed more time off the clock before Brown added an insurance touchdown with 1:25 to go.

Manning finished the game 28-of-38 passing for 297 yards and three touchdowns, while Brown had 17 rushes for 85 yards and a score.

The win also came as Texas played without WR Cam Coleman, OT Trevor Goosby and mostly without edge rusher Colin Simmons. Goosby is out for the season due to a knee injury. Coleman, who has a shoulder injury, warmed up but did not play.

Simmons, who suffered a high-ankle sprain against Florida, attempted to play for the first time since the injury. He was used sporadically before watching most of the second half from the sideline.

The Tigers had their chances and failed to take them. Kicker Blake Craig missed two field goals, including one early in the second half.

That missed kick came after Texas fumbled a kickoff after Mizzou opened the third quarter with a field goal after officials deemed this Lee catch to be incomplete. Unlike Manning’s fumble, this call was overturned and not upheld. It was called a catch on the field.

It was, to put it nicely, an uneven day for the officials in charge. At the end of the first half, Lee fumbled the ball as he was driving forward. Texas recovered the fumble, but officials blew the play dead on the account of forward progress.

The Tigers’ offense also went stagnant after Texas tied the game. Missouri ran 14 plays over four drives following Bishop’s TD for 16 yards. While Tigers fans are going to feel aggrieved about the replay calls that failed to go their team’s way, Mizzou couldn’t do anything with its chances in the fourth quarter.

It’s a loss that likely ends any hope Missouri had of making the playoff. The Tigers have No. 2 Georgia, No. 6 Kentucky and Oklahoma remaining. While three wins could easily get the Tigers back into the playoff mix, that’s a very improbable scenario.

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