{"id":478253,"date":"2026-10-27T15:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/478253\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T15:32:10","slug":"arch-manning-delivered-the-performance-texas-desperately-needed-against-ole-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/478253\/","title":{"rendered":"Arch Manning Delivered the Performance Texas Desperately Needed Against Ole Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arch Manning<\/a>\u2019s career story has been far from the fairy tale many envisioned for the former five-star recruit. It\u2019s been anything but happily ever after: the latest in the Manning quarterback bloodline has gone from anticipated backup to disappointing \u201cflop\u201d to a promising star on the rise, and that\u2019s just from his first season as the starter in Austin.<\/p>\n

His second season leading the Longhorns appears to follow a similar trend line. With Texas riding a two-game losing streak, the first since the Longhorns went six games without a win in Steve Sarkisian\u2019s first year in charge, the narrative around Manning looked awfully familiar to the \u201cbiggest flop\u201d in college football history.<\/p>\n

So much so that talk of potentially benching Manning became more substantive. Yet, now, fresh off snapping Texas\u2019s two-game skid with a 34-27 win over Ole Miss,<\/a> Manning looks to have turned the corner. <\/p>\n

Correcting the Narrative\"Arch<\/p>\n

Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

The young quarterback has never been one for the spotlight that comes with starting at Texas. At the microphone, he\u2019s a rather soft-spoken, well-calculated speaker who doesn\u2019t often give headline-altering quotes.<\/p>\n

However, he admitted on Saturday that he likes being the \u201cunderdog,\u201d the one counted out. Manning\u2019s response to two weeks of intense scrutiny after back-to-back losses ended with him turning the football over needed no words. <\/p>\n

He delivered a resounding statement the one place he needed too: on the field.<\/p>\n

His final stat line, 212 yards on 18 of 30 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions, plus two scores on the ground, isn\u2019t much to write home about. But the box score doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. <\/p>\n

At least in Manning\u2019s case from Saturday. Yes, he was still far from perfect and repeated several mistakes that had doomed him in the previous two games, including an untimely fourth-quarter turnover. <\/p>\n

Yet he also showed signs he could back up that five-star rating. He had several big-time, NFL-level throws: one that led to a touchdown for Ryan Wingo, and another that Cam Coleman dropped, which would\u2019ve been a walk-in touchdown.<\/p>\n

But flashes have always been there with Manning. Even when he struggled over the last two weeks, the Texas quarterback still had moments when he showed what he was capable of. He still hasn’t quite put it together in his career on the Forty Acres, and he may never do so. <\/p>\n

The biggest difference for Manning last night was that he never got rattled. Not even after the late-game interception on a forced go-ball to Emmett Mosley, or after a controversial missed targeting call that forced him out of the game in the second half on a third-and-long.<\/p>\n

Manning stayed the course and did his part to keep Texas from losing on perhaps one of the biggest nights of his career.<\/p>\n

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