Arch Manning Can Make His Own Texas History Against Oklahoma

It’s no secret that the 21st century hasn’t been exactly all that kind to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. The Oklahoma Sooners have won 17 of the 25 games this century, after winning just two games in the 90s.

Texas leads the all-time series with a 65-51-5 record over the Sooners, and maintains that bragging right, along with the current momentum. The Longhorns will enter Saturday looking for their third straight win in the Cotton Bowl, and fourth in the past five years.

Yet for quarterback Arch Manning, Saturday could mark a historic moment for the second-year starting quarterback. If he leads the Longhorns to another victory over the Sooners, he’d become just the second Texas signal-caller this century to record back-to-back wins over Oklahoma.

Joining History

Arch Manning Oklahoma — Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) huddles with his team during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manning would be the only player to match Colt McCoy since the turn of the century. Although the legendary quarterback finished just shy of going undefeated against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry due to a 2007 loss, he won the next two to cap his career.

That includes beating the Sooners in the controversial 2008 season, when Oklahoma reached the national championship game against Florida, while Texas played Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Before McCoy accomplished the feat, Major Applewhite preceded him. Applewhite led the Longhorns to wins over the Sooners in his freshman and sophomore seasons before failing to beat them the rest of his time on the Forty Acres.

For Manning, this could be his final start in the Red River showdown. He waited two years behind Quinn Ewers before finally getting his chance as the starter against Oklahoma, and despite a rocky last season for the Longhorns, they still beat the Sooners.

In the 23-6 win last season, Manning completed 21 of his 27 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 34 yards on four attempts. The Longhorns offense which was plagued with a stagnant run game and inconsistent offensive line managed to put up 302 total yards of offense against the Sooners, with 136 of those coming from the ground game.

Now, after the Longhorns pulled off the “upset” of the Sooners, they will walk into the Cotton Bowl the nation’s No. 1 team expected to pull out the win. If they do so, Manning will make history as the first quarterback since McCoy to beat the Sooners in back-to-back years.

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