The No. 17 Texas Longhorns hosted the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon, and while the Longhorns’ defense struggled at times, the offense looked sharper than it has all season, led by star quarterback Arch Manning.
Texas came away with a 52-37 victory, improving to 8-3 on the season and keeping their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Manning had a phenomenal performance, completing 18 of 30 passes for 389 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown and even caught a touchdown on one of head coach Steve Sarkisian’s trick plays.
His historic performance put him in a category of his own in Longhorns program history, as he became the first Texas quarterback ever to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown all in the same game.
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It’s been an up-and-down year for Manning in his first season as the full-time starter in Austin. He’s shown flashes of brilliance — like Saturday against the Razorbacks — but there have also been moments of clear struggle.
Still, at just 21 years old, Manning carries extra pressure and expectations simply because of his last name and his connection to NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning.
Entering Saturday’s game, Manning had completed 62.7% of his passes for 2,374 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions this season.
The Longhorns will wrap up their regular season next week with a huge showdown against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies — a matchup that could get very interesting if Texas can pull off the upset.
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