For Arch Manning, it’s been bittersweet at best. Once touted as the next best thing after breaking high school records held by his uncles, Eli and Peyton Manning, the expectations were sky high. Yet, his journey as a starter was far from ideal. Thankfully, though, looks like the 21-year-old might be climbing up the ranks steadily, a notable glimpse of which we got after the Texas Longhorns’ comeback win vs Mississippi State.

“Entering today FBS teams had lost 429 straight games when trailing by at least 17 points with 10 remaining in the 4th quarter, per CBS’ research team,” CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer wrote on X, before delivering the good news. “Texas just broke that streak, scoring 24 straight in a 45-38 overtime win over Mississippi State.”

Safe to say, Arch Manning turned critics into witnesses, leading Texas from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to a 45-38 overtime triumph over Mississippi State. Down 31-21 entering the fourth quarter, Manning sparked the Texas comeback, leading two touchdown drives and a field goal to pull the Longhorns back into contention. He first connected with Parker Livingstone on a 6-yard score, then fired a 21-yard strike to Emmett Mosley V to keep Texas’ hopes alive. But was it easy? Not really.

The QB’s night, where he recorded a career-high 346 yards in 29-of-46 yards passing, got off to a rough start, with just 90 passing yards in the first half (60 of those coming on his very first throw to Ryan Wingo). Following that, the opponent’s defense clamped down, sacking him twice before the break. This just made the signal caller hungrier to seek revenge and flip the script in that game itself. In the end, though, it wouldn’t be right to extend all the credit to Manning alone.

After Ryan Niblett’s 79-yard punt return touchdown tied the game 38-38, the starting quarterback suffered an injury after the first play in overtime. Manning took a hard hit during a tackle while scrambling for a 13-yard gain. The game-winning touchdown then came on a 10-yard pass from Matthew Caldwell to Mosley V.

“I think we got a mulligan because tonight was a culture win,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game. “I said this to the team: ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of guys.’ When they go up 17 in the fourth quarter… these guys literally didn’t blink.”

“I thought Arch battled his tail off,” Sarkisian then noted about his starting QB. “I wish we played a little better around him at times… but man, he’s a warrior and he battles. He competes, he takes hits, and he gets back up. … I think he grew up a lot tonight.”

But that’s not all that the head coach had to say…

Steve Sarkisian has asked fans to be patient about Arch Manning’s injury status

Things do not look good. Sarkisian remained tight-lipped about Manning’s injury update, assuring that details won’t be available before Monday. But for fans wondering about how soon Manning is going to recover, a disheartening answer awaits.

“Sources tell Inside Texas that Manning suffered a concussion and will be evaluated further,” Justin Wells reported. “He’s expected to enter concussion protocol. Steve Sarkisian was non-committal on his status in the postgame press conference.” The most concerning part is that Manning’s head has hit the turf. He was immediately ejected from the game and saw out the remainder in the medical tent. Not a good time for Manning to make a trip to the tent. What’s more, this was his second injury during the game. His first one came following a first-quarter touchdown, and Manning was back in the game on the next drive.

Thinking about the next week, droplets of cold sweat can already be spotted on Sarkisian’s forehead as the Vanderbilt face-off is on November 1. The Commodores already are red hot and have sealed a 17-10 win against the Missouri Tigers. Right now, Texas fans will have to be more patient until Monday to find out whether the quarterback will end up in the concussion protocol.

Let’s be prepared for a ‘what if’ scenario not going in Manning’s favor? Sarkisian will have to count on the former quarterback at Troy. Caldwell, who holds a completion rate of 63%, a 140 quarterback rating, and threw for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns. While the Texas nation might be missing Manning, he, too, has been graded a C.

That said, looks like things are already tough for Arch Manning. Let’s see how long it takes for him to make a comeback.