Skip to main content
College Football HQ

College Football Fans Said the Same Thing About Arch Manning During Texas Opener

A year ago, Arch Manning was the talk of college football, but not for the reason he wanted. This time around, the chatter around the Texas quarterback is far more promising.
James Parks|
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This time last year, Arch Manning was the butt of every joke in college football. One year later, the Texas Longhorns quarterback looks like a force to be reckoned with.

Granted, it was only one game, but Manning and the Texas offense came through with a dominant performance against Texas State in a 59-7 result that was one of the biggest wins of any program in college football’s opening Week 1 action on Saturday.

What Arch Did on the Field

Working against a team nobody thought would win, Manning completed 20 of his 27 passes for 305 yards in the air, adding four touchdowns with his arm and finishing with one giveaway in scoring position before exiting in the third quarter with a 42-7 lead.

It’s worth considering the caliber of the competition; Texas State is a middling outfit from the Sun Belt and the Longhorns are considered SEC championship material, but given the trajectory of Manning’s career so far, every good showing is a good thing.

How Manning Handled the Week 1 Test

Manning was the picture of mistakes and poor decision making against Ohio State to open last season, but this opponent gave the Longhorns quarterback more of an opportunity to show off not only his own improvement, but the caliber of skill players this team has on its offense in 2026.

Manning to Coleman. Get Used to It.

Ryan Wingo led the Longhorns with 121 yards receiving off seven catches, but new wide receiver Cam Coleman paced all his teammates with 2 touchdown grabs, including the first from Manning.

Coleman was a five-star recruit when he originally committed to Auburn as part of the last recruiting class, but following one year there, he emerged as the No. 1 wide receiver in the transfer portal, electing to catch passes from Manning in the burnt orange. So far, so good.

The budding connection between quarterback and wide receiver could end up being one of the most consequential pairings in the SEC and nationally if they keep up like this.

This Was What You Want to See

Considering a player of his experience and potential, and especially the quality of the players around him, this is exactly what you would want to see from your quarterback.

Can Arch Be This Dominant Against SEC Defenses?

When working against the blitz, being pressured, and throwing the ball outside the pocket, Manning was perfect on all fronts and moved the chains with regularity. But that was against an overmatched defense.

Sarkisian Puts Manning's Day Into Perspective

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian appreciated the clear improvements that his quarterback has made, not just on Saturday, but over the course of the entire second half of last season, but also noted that there were a few areas where Manning could still improve.

The Most Improved Quarterback?

Veteran college football analyst Greg McElroy thinks so.

The ESPN analyst believes Manning was the single-most improved player in the country at the position, and what he did Saturday portends well for that progress continuing in this season.

In the first half of last season, Manning completed just 57.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,539 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.

After that, the Longhorns star was good for 66 percent of his throws with 1,619 yards and 14 touchdowns, signaling a major jump in accuracy, decision making, and overall efficiency.

That improvement included leading Texas to statement wins against ranked Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and crucially, a massive upset of then-undefeated rival Texas A&M before taking down Michigan in the bowl game. Now the test comes of continuing that progress into the future.

What’s Next For Arch and the Longhorns

College Football Fans Said the Same Thing About Arch Manning During Texas Opener
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The immediate future includes a consequential rematch with the No. 1 team in college football.

Ohio State’s defense contained Manning and forced him into mistakes in a 14-7 win in Columbus in last season’s opener, catapulting the Buckeyes into the No. 1 ranking they took from the Longhorns coming into that game.

Now, the Big Ten challengers are No. 1 yet again, but this time come into Austin for Round 2 against the Longhorns, and what looks like a more experienced and confident Arch Manning.

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

Home/News