Arch Manning did not talk like the face of Texas, but like a kid who needed his parents. After helping keep the Longhorns’ season alive with a Week 8 34-27 win over Ole Miss, Manning’s postgame interview revealed the weight he has been carrying. His voice cracked when he mentioned going home to his mom and dad. The jersey and the Manning name can only hide so much.
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“It was a hard Sunday, and I went over to their place…crying,” Manning said during the post-game conference. “So just being able to see them after the game was nice. I had a chip on my shoulder all week.”
Manning has had a tough couple of weeks after losing 2 games in a row and hearing criticism from everywhere. Even his biggest cheerleader, Paul Finebaum, wasn’t on his side with a clear verdict. However, on Saturday, Manning started the game against Ole Miss with something to prove and looked like he had worked on his recent struggles.
In the first half of the game, Manning finally scored his very first rushing touchdown of the season. Manning did throw an interception, but luckily the Longhorns immediately forced a turnover of their own.
Manning completed 18 of his 30 passing attempts, gaining 212 passing yards. He also threw a 50-yard pass to wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who scored a touchdown. By halftime, Manning had led the Longhorns to a 24-3 halftime lead.
“You were going to let it rip this week? Was that the first half that was letting it rip?” he was asked.
“I think so yeah,” he answered in the same interview.
However, the fire was just ignited in the first half of the game, and the same script of their old mistakes came running back in the second half. Manning and the Texas offense lost their momentum, and Ole Miss gradually closed the gap.
Manning was strip-sacked in just seconds of the third quarter, and Ole Miss recovered the loose ball and returned it for a defensive touchdown, cutting Texas’ lead to 24–10. Texas only managed a handful of yards in the third quarter while the Rebels scored 14 unanswered points. Manning himself had 1 interception and 1 fumble in the second half.
As the 4th quarter began, the Rebels QB, Trinidad Chambliss, had tied the score at 24-24. That’s when Manning threw his second interception of the night, which was on a first-down pass at the Texas 43-yard line. But he redeemed himself and went for a rushing touchdown.
Still, Manning’s mistakes nearly proved costly for Texas, giving Ole Miss multiple chances to turn the game around. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a strip-sack that the Rebels returned for a defensive touchdown. Manning later admitted both interceptions came from poor decisions.
Eventually, the lead did extend to 34. The victory mattered the most to Manning, and he knows there are still some areas he can work on, but he struck a confident pose after the victory.
“There’s a lot left on the table. I think I can continue to get better, but I’m playing with an edge. I’ve been hyped up all my life. I think I kind of like being disregarded and counted out,” Manning said with a smile.
Even his HC, Steve Sarkisian, was happy with the new, edgy Manning that he saw against Ole Miss.
“I like the edgy, borderline arrogant, full-of-swagger Arch,” Sarkisian said. “I just feel like that’s when he’s at his best. He’s competing. … Our team feeds off of that energy.”
Now sitting at 5-2 after a much-needed win over Ole Miss, Texas will look to build on Manning’s resurgence against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are currently outside the AP Top 25, giving the Longhorns a chance to keep their momentum going.