Texas vs. LSU live updates: No. 6 Longhorns travel to Death Valley for key SEC showdown with No. 21 Tigers

2Q: LSU 14, Texas 7

Right after Sam Leavitt launched a miserable ball to the Texas secondary, Texas quarterback Arch Manning returned the favor and threw an ill-advised ball on the run. Manning threw a ball right to LSU defensive back Ty Benefield, who returned the ball 33 yards down into the Texas red zone. 

Leavitt managed to avoid a mistake this time around, hitting Jackson Harris for a 9-yard touchdown. The Tigers are on top in Baton Rouge. 

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has mostly been steady to start the game against Texas, but he already has two major miscues that cost the Tigers. The first interception by Jelani McDonald was just a nice play on a tipped ball by the defense. 

However, Leavitt bizarrely fell backward and launched the ball into the air in the end zone. This time, McDonald was able to softly field the pick and end a potential LSU scoring drive. The Tigers can't afford to whiff on points against a top-five defense in the nation. 

End 1Q: Texas 7, LSU 7

Texas and LSU are locked in a defensive battle at the end of the first quarter in Baton Rouge. Both teams managed to score on the first play of the game, but the defenses have since settled in and made big plays. 

The Longhorns forced an interception off LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt to stifle a drive, and then linebacker Justin Cryer dragged him down for a sack to tank another. Texas went down the field in 11 plays to open the game, but has two punts since then, including yet another three-and-out. 

While Texas hasn't gotten much offense, they've at least run the ball for 4.9 yards per carry. Instead, it's been Arch Manning who has been inconsistent, hitting only three-of-nine passes in the period. LSU is rushing for a paltry 1.8 yards per carry. 

1Q: LSU 7, Texas 7

LSU went down early, but quarterback Sam Leavitt was strong as the Tigers came back to tie the game in a 13-play drive that lasted more than five minutes. Leavitt dropped back and made plays with his mobility, hitting three passes of more than 10 yards. 

Leavitt found Jackson Harris for a 10-yard touchdown, and the game is open again. 

1Q: Texas 7, LSU 0

Texas used a couple of critical third-down conversions to drive down the field and score an early touchdown. The Longhorns got a key 14-yard pass to Michael Terry III, and then drew a pass interference to reach the edge of the red zone. Manning added a third conversion on third-and-4 to set up a 1-yard touchdown run 

Manning completed only 2-of-5 passes on the drive, but the Longhorns made enough plays to get on the board. Thankfully for them, there's been no hangover from the travel. 

LSU linebacker Whit Weeks is in uniform and warming up ahead of LSU's game against Texas. The team captain missed the past five games with a fractured fibula, a second injury-plagued campaign in two years. 

In 2024, he posted 120 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. In 12 games over the past two years, he's recorded 54 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. 

Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin have known each other for decades, going back to their team as assistants on Pete Carroll's staff at USC. Kiffin has since put together a whirlwind career, jumping from the NFL to the Pac-12 to the SEC to, now, Baton Rouge. Both coaches also spent stints as offensive coordinators under Nick Saban at Alabama. 

Kiffin became one of the highest-paid coaches in college football when he left for LSU, but Sarkisian has him beat in success. Neither coach has successfully won an SEC title, with Texas's Big 12 title in 2023 ranking as the only major conference title between them. 

This year, though, Sarkisian is 4-0 against CFP Top 25 opponents. Kiffin is 0-3. Can the Tigers turn the tide? 

Texas was one of many teams impacted by the FAA's grounding of flights on Friday afternoon, which meant that they couldn't leave Austin until late in the evening. The team got to the hotel right before midnight, far later than expected. 

Luckily for them, the game is still a night game, so Texas has extra time to recover from the journey. Still, it will be interesting to see whether the travel issues negative impact the team.