Live updates from Week 10

Texas football finally returned home after 42 days on the road, and the Longhorns may have just returned to College Football Playoff contention with a 34-31 win over  Vanderbilt.

Quarterback Diego Pavia and the No. 9 Commodores (7-2, 3-2 SEC) may be enjoying their best season since winning a handful of Southern Conference championships in the 1920s, but No. 20 Texas (7-2, 4-1) had too much firepower behind Arch Manning, who was questionable for much of the week while in concussion protocol since exiting last week’s win over Mississippi State after an overtime hit.

Manning threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns for the Longhorns, who Nov. 15 travel to Georgia after an open week. Read below for a replay and highlights from the Longhorns’ Saturday win over Vanderbilt.

MORE: How Texas football’s stronghold on the state is being threatened | Golden

Quarterback Diego Pavia leads a late surge for the Commodores that includes an 8-yard touchdown pass to Richie Hoskins with 38 seconds left in the game. Pavia ends the game with 365 yards and three touchdowns passing, and Texas needs injured safety Michael Taaffe back in the worst way. He was listed as doubtful this week after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand a couple of weeks ago and should be ready Nov. 15 at Georgia.

Quarterback Diego Pavia connects with tight end Eli Stowers for a 67-yard touchdown pass.

Texas kicker Mason Shipley misses a 51-yard field-goal attempt, but it won’t make a difference today.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia scoots into the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown run and initiates a little kerfuffle after the play. The Commodores still have a little remaining fight even after failing on the 2-point attempt.

Is it too early to start thinking about the trip to Georgia in two weeks for the Longhorns, who have an open week next Saturday? It could be a CFP elimination game for both teams, even though the Bulldogs may have a little more wiggle room.

Mason Shipley nails a 37-yard field goal for Texas.The Longhorns are up to 388 yards of offense against a Vanderbilt defense that entered the game allowing 323 yards per contest.

A sack by Ethan Burke forces Vanderbilt into a 48-yard field-goal try, and Commodore kicker Brock Taylor pushes it wide right. The Longhorn fans have apparently shaken off their Halloween evening and are starting to really enjoy this one.

Texas QB Arch Manning continues to dissect the Vanderbilt defense while leading a 93-yard touchdown drive on the Longhorns’ first possession of the second half. He also shows what Texas coach Steve Sarkisian refers to as “contact courage,” he stands in the pocket, takes a big lick from a Commodore pass rusher, and delivers a 6-yard scoring pass to Emmett Mosley V. Manning now has 287 yards and three TDs on 19-of-24 passing.

All week, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian fielded questions about whether quarterback Arch Manning would play after undergoing concussion protocol following a big hit in overtime of last week’s win at Mississippi State. But Manning and Texas offense have had all the answers in the first half with 249 yards on 25 snaps.

Credit Sarkisian for designing a game plan limiting the deep drops and getting the ball quickly out of Manning’s hands. Manning has taken just one official hit aside from a shot on a scramble while throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing, and 185 of those yards have come after the catch. 

If Texas can hold on, it will enter a Nov. 15 game at Georgia with rejuvenated hopes of getting back to the College Football Playoff.

Vanderbilt gets a desperately needed touchdown just before the halftime break. QB Diego Pavia finds his favorite target, TE Eli Stowers, for an 18-yard touchdown pass on third down. Texas has dominated the first two quarters, but the Commodores will enter the half with some momentum.

Arch Manning and the Longhorns continue to pick apart the Vanderbilt defense. Texas has now scored on all four of its first-half drives after rolling 68 yards in eight plays. Quintrevion Wisner darts 4 yards for the touchdown run to cap the drive. The Longhorns have 234 yards of offense against a proud Commodore defense. The only downside? Receiver Ryan Wingo left the game early with an apparent hand injury and has yet to return.

A sack by Trey Moore ends a promising Vanderbilt drive, but Commodore kicker Brock Taylor nails a 44-yard field goal to get Vanderbilt on the board. Between Taylor and Texas’ Mason Shipley, we have two of the better SEC kickers squaring off in Austin.

Utter domination on both sides of the ball for Texas. The Longhorns have 171 yards of offense and have held the Commodores to 86 yards with one turnover. Edge Colin Simmons has camped out in the Vanderbilt backfield all game.

Texas is looking like the team that entered the year ranked atop the polls, much to the satisfaction of a late-arriving crowd. The Longhorns march 83 yards in 10 plays and score on a 6-yard pass from Arch Manning to CJ Baxter. Manning has 144 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-11 passing, and 149 of those yards (football math, y’all) have come after the catch.

Vanderbilt holds, and Mason Shipley boots home a 39-yard field goal to add to the Texas lead. The Commodores must be breathing sighs of relief after Arch Manning missed a couple of open receivers and took a delay of game.

Colin Simmons, the Texas edge who’s been on a tear in recent weeks, gets to Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia for the sack, strips the ball and recovers the fumble. That’s 6 1/2 sacks in the last four games for Simmons, and Texas is set up at the Vanderbilt 29-yard line.

It’s like deja vu all over again. Like they did last week, the Longhorns score on their first offensive snap. And like last week, it comes from a pass by Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo in the flat. Wingo gets some good blocking and races 75 yards for the touchdown.

Offensive lineman Cole Hutson returns to the lineup after missing the past two games with an undisclosed injury, but he’ll start at left guard instead of center, Hutson, a senior, played his first four seasons primarily at right guard but moved to center this past offseason. Texas has rotated several players at left guard this season without much success. Connor Roberston, who has started the past two games at center in place of Hutson, will remain the starting center.

Safety Michael Taaffe will miss his second straight game with a thumb injury, according to an official SEC availability report issued Saturday morning. With Taaffe absent last week, the Longhorns allowed a season-high 382 passing yards to Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen. Redshirt freshman Xavier Filsaime played the majority of the snaps in Taaffe’s place. 

Where: Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin

TV/radio: ABC, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)

Line: Texas is favored by 2½  points; over/under is 44 ½ points

Football weather finally arrives in Central Texas with temperatures in the low 60s at kickoff, highs in the mid 70s and a steady northern breeze that may bring in a few rain clouds.

Week 1 at Ohio State: L, 10-7 
Week 2 vs San Jose State: W, 38-7
Week 3 at UTEP: W, 27-10
Week 4 vs Sam Houston: W, 55-0
Week 5 BYE
Week 6 at Florida: L, 29-21
Week 7 vs Oklahoma: W, 23-6
Week 8 at Kentucky: W, 16-13 OT

Week 9 at Mississippi State: W, 45-38 OT