Arch Manning and Texas were the No.1 team in the country one week ago, and now they are absolutely reeling.
Manning couldn’t pull it out at home, as No. 7 Texas lost its second straight game, a mistake-filled 27-24 loss to unranked Florida in Austin.
Manning, the nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning, had some strong moments but was strip-sacked with the Longhorns trailing by three points with under two minutes to play.
The star QB also endured a poor performance in Texas’ first loss of the season last week against Oklahoma.
Texas pass rusher and NCAA sack leader Colin Simmons was also carted off the field with a left leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Simmons and Manning both have been considered potential top-five picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, but this will hurt Texas’ likelihood of reaching the College Football Playoff.
The Longhorns’ next four SEC opponents are ranked teams: No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 13 Missouri and No. 22 LSU.
“I’m just gonna call him Arch, because if you take away the last name you have a below-average quarterback,” CBS studio analyst Damien Harris said after the game. “… Arch Manning isn’t playing like a Manning.”
Manning finished the game 14-for-20 for 173 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also had zero yards on 10 rushing attempts, which includes getting stopped on 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-2 on back-to-back runs in the fourth quarter.
