AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning admits he has to play better than he has so far.
The Texas quarterback is playing far below what was expected when he started the season as an early Heisman Trophy favorite and leader of what was then the No. 1 team in the country.
Manning struggled through a season-opening road loss at Ohio State that started a wave of national criticism and questions of whether the redshirt sophomore was overrated and was anointed too soon. Saturday’s poor outing in a 27-10 win over UTEP will only bring more.
Manning was 11-of-25 passing for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Miners of Conference USA in a game Texas (2-1) — which reached the Southeastern Conference title game last year after winning the Big 12 championship in 2024 — was heavily favored. He had a string of misfires with 10 consecutive incompletions in the second quarter, tossed an end zone interception and never looked comfortable as he side-armed some throws and missed open receivers on others.
His team wasn’t in danger of losing the game, but Manning’s recurring struggles in the offense are enough to concern Texas fans about the upcoming SEC schedule and whether the eighth-ranked Longhorns really are title contenders.