The Great, Good, Bad and Ugly of Texas' Win vs. Arkansas

It took until the second half for the Texas Longhorns to break away from the Arkansas Razorbacks, but head coach Steve Sarkisian's team was able to do so behind three straight third-quarter touchdowns to win 52-37 inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The Longhorns improve to 8-3 on the season, bouncing back from the Georgia defeat, in which Texas only scored 10 points, with a seven-touchdown showing.

Here is the great, good, bad and ugly of the Longhorns' performance against the Razorbacks.

Great: QB Arch Manning

On Saturday afternoon, Manning became the first quarterback in Texas history to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game, per John Bianco, UT's senior associate athletics director. He recorded a new career high in passing yards with 389 and converted six total touchdowns.

Versus Arkansas, Manning was the most effective he's been with the deep ball so far in his collegiate career. Not only did Manning average 21.6 yards per completion, but he had connections of 22 or more yards with each of his six main pass-catchers.

Wide receivers Parker Livingstone and DeAndre Moore Jr. each hauled in a long touchdown, with Moore touching paydirt twice more for a hat trick of scores.

Manning showed prowess in evading pressure within the pocket and finding his open receiver; he did not take a sack for only the third time this season.

Sarkisian's play design and Manning's execution lined up in DKR, giving Texas its most impressive pass performance of 2025.

Good: second-half performance

Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau (18) runs for after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Arkansas was trailing by just one point after a Taylen Green rushing touchdown. Then came a 38-second Texas three-and-out to hand the ball back to Arkansas, with the trajectory of the contest in question. Three consecutive punts ensued before Texas closed the half with a field goal that ended a seven-minute scoring drought in the game.

Still, the game was far from decided, sitting at a four-point margin. Manning and company took control of the scoreboard coming out of the locker room.

It took just five plays for the Longhorns to drive 75 yards due to a 30-yard reception from wide receiver Emmett Mosley V and a 35-yarder from tight end Jack Endries. Manning ran it in to put Texas up two scores. Green then threw a regrettable interception to give Texas a favorable field position that it would capitalize on with another touchdown.

Arkansas responded with a field goal on its first drive with quarterback KJ Jackson, who replaced the benched Green, before Texas added its third touchdown of the third quarter to extend the lead to 22. Linebacker Liona Lefau's fumble-six off of edge rusher Colin Simmons' fourth-down strip sack put the game to bed and marked the first time Texas has hit the 50-point mark in Southeastern Conference play.

It was a second half, or more specifically, a 20-minute period, in which the Longhorns played high-level complementary football. That collaborative effort from both sides will be something Texas wants to continue into its finale against undefeated Texas A&M.

Bad: run game

Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) leaps over a defender while running for years during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas' rushing attack just hasn't been able to hit its stride.

Though it was not needed direly because of Manning's passing performance, the Longhorns were only able to produce a 3.5-yard-per-carry efficiency, good for 97 yards on 28 attempts. That was an improvement from the 1.4 YPC efficiency they had against Georgia, but Texas again failed to really open up the game through the rush.

The team's longest rush of the day was just 12 yards from running back Quintrevion Wisner. Screen passes to wide receiver Ryan Wingo and others maintain more upside from the line of scrimmage than the run does.

The concern remains surrounding Texas' rushing game and the movement that the offensive line is capable of creating for the backs.

Ugly: first-half run defense

On the first play from scrimmage, Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. gained 41 yards to put the Razorbacks into field goal range. Arkansas' second drive began with a Green completion to his tight end for 30 yards, followed later by an 18-yard Green scramble.

The Longhorns were able to hold the Razorbacks to two field goals, but not on the next two drives. Green's read options and Washington's bulldozing running style led to both hitting paydirt in the second quarter. In the first half, the Razorbacks totaled 157 rushing yards on 17 attempts for a 9.2 YPC average.

While Texas was thriving through the air, Arkansas was staying in the game on the ground. That was a surprising realization against a Texas team that has been among the best run-stopping units in the country this season.

The Longhorns effectively limited the Razorbacks' running game in the second half, helped by their increased lead on the scoreboard, allowing only 31 rushing yards across the third and fourth quarters.

But giving up that kind of production to Texas A&M early could prove more costly than it was versus Arkansas. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's unit will again be facing a dual-threat quarterback in Marcel Reed and a rushing attack that has accumulated over 20 rushing touchdowns this season.