The Most Surprising Thing About Texas Longhorns' Win Over UTSA

UTSA was meant to be one last tune-up before conference play for Texas. It was a likely layup, designed to iron out any lingering issues before finally hitting the road to take on Tennessee.

For Arch Manning, it instead brought some old concerns back to the surface.

After appearing to take a step forward through Texas’ first two games of the season, Manning struggled amid a sloppy offensive performance from the Longhorns. He completed 17 of his 33 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, but the box score only tells part of the story.

Manning simply didn’t look as comfortable as Texas would have hoped against an opponent that was supposed to serve as a final rehearsal before SEC play.

Arch Manning’s Accuracy Wasn’t Quite There

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The most obvious issue was Manning’s accuracy.

Completing just over half of his passes — at 51.5% — tells some of the story, but even that doesn’t fully capture the inconsistencies of Manning's night.

Some of his completions were catchable while not being particularly well placed. Receivers were forced to adjust to passes that, with better placement, could have hit them in stride and led to additional yards after the catch.

That’s not to say he didn’t have great throws. Both of his touchdown passes to Cam Coleman were beautifully placed — the first arriving with plenty of zip and the second being put in a place where only Coleman could get it.

Found his guy🤘 pic.twitter.com/cXRBpjGyRH
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 20, 2026

But perhaps more concerning than the throws Manning missed were some of the throws he never attempted.

Throughout the night, Manning frequently turned to his legs when the initial read wasn’t immediately available.

According to Pro Football Focus, Manning scrambled on eight of his 42 dropbacks, occasionally opting to leave the pocket rather than continue progressing through his reads or attempt a more difficult throw downfield.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with Manning using his legs; it’s part of what makes him such a difficult quarterback to defend.

But against UTSA, that tendency created another problem.

Manning Took Too Many Hits

The consequence of Manning repeatedly turning to his legs was the amount of punishment he absorbed.

Manning took several hard hits against UTSA, whether from pressure in the pocket or contact after taking off as a runner. At one point, a hit caused Manning's helmet to fly off and had fans holding their breath before booing the referees after declining to call targeting.

Arch Manning gets ear-holed. He doesn't need to take hits like this, particularly against UTSA. pic.twitter.com/Ycn4aFZCDM
— Dan Why-Ner (@ReallyDanWeiner) September 20, 2026

Some of that falls on the offensive line. After an impressive performance against Ohio State, Texas struggled to give Manning consistent protection against a defensive front that found ways to make him uncomfortable.

But Manning didn’t always help himself.

His willingness to fight for extra yards and extend plays is part of what makes him dangerous, but Texas doesn’t need its starting quarterback absorbing unnecessary contact — especially in a game it entered as a heavy favorite.

Texas escaped UTSA with a win, and Manning escaped the night healthy, but the Longhorns won’t have the same margin for error once SEC play begins.

Saturday doesn’t erase the progress Manning showed through the first two weeks, but it showed there’s still plenty to clean up.

The Roadrunners were supposed to be Manning's tune-up before SEC play. Instead, they gave him plenty to work on.

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