When Arch Manning made his debut as Texas’ full-time starter in 2025, the season-opening loss to Ohio State proved to be his toughest test. He struggled mightily and endured seemingly endless criticism in the aftermath, though he got a lot better as the year progressed and finished the season strong.
The rematch against the Buckeyes represented a chance for redemption, and for a while, it didn’t seem he would get it. The turnovers and drops by his teammates in the first three quarters made his job that much harder. Manning also missed some throws and made some mistakes of his own and the offense, as a whole, look disjointed.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Manning. The Longhorns’ offensive line deserves credit, because it gave him time when Texas sped up the tempo to get back into the game. But Manning was accurate, decisive and didn’t needlessly put the ball in harm’s way while leading three consecutive touchdown drives.
People ask whether the hype surrounding Manning is solely due to his name. The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but his poise under pressure and ability to lead Texas back from a 20-point deficit against the No. 1 team in the nation should put some of those questions to rest, because his performance did plenty of the talking for him.
