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Arch Manning, Texas Booed By Home Fans Amid First-Half Struggles Against UTEP

The Longhorns endured a frustrating 30 minutes to start Saturday.

Patrick Andres

Arch Manning was not his best self to begin Saturday.
Arch Manning was not his best self to begin Saturday. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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When Texas handed quarterback Arch Manning its starting job this offseason, this probably wasn't the outcome the Longhorns imagined.

It's true that Texas is about where fans expected it to be at this point in the season—1–1 with a loss to Ohio State, and likely to move to 2–1. However, the Longhorns gutted through an eyesore of a first half Saturday, taking a 14–3 lead on UTEP as Manning endured the worst half of his young career.

How bad was Manning through the air? His 5-for-16 performance for 69 yards and an interception earned him boos from the home crowd at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

On the bright side: Manning did carry the ball four times for 18 yards and a touchdown just before halftime.

The Miners are hardly Group of Five powers—they lost their opener to Utah State—so whether Manning can pick up the pace in the second half will bear watching.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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