There have been moments throughout the season where Arch Manning has looked like the player he was billed as in the preseason.
Saturday against Arkansas was one of those moments.
Manning threw for 4 touchdowns, ran for a touchdown, and caught a touchdown pass from Parker Livingstone to lead the 17th-ranked Longhorns to a 52-37 win over the Razorbacks.
Texas led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, and it led 45-23 going into the fourth quarter.
Arkansas made things interesting throughout. Texas struggled to contain the explosives, particularly once KJ Jackson took over for Taylen Green at quarterback. Arkansas finished with a 19% explosive play rate. But a 52-yard scoop-and-score touchdown from the defense in the opening moments of the fourth quarter put the Horns up by 29 and effectively ended the fight.
Manning completed 18 of his 30 passes for 389 yards through the air. He also played clean, finishing without a turnover. He became the first quarterback in Texas history to score touchdowns as a passer, runner, and receiver. He also became just the third FBS quarterback since 2000 to produce 4 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing, and 1 receiving without an interception.
Arkansas actually outgained Texas on the day (512-490), but it committed the only 2 turnovers of the game, and those 2 giveaways led to 14 Texas points.
KJ Jackson completed 16 of his 29 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown after replacing Green. He also ran for 17 yards and a score.
Mike Washington Jr. rushed for 105 yards, pushing him over 1,000 for the season. He’s the first Hog to rush for 1,000 yards since Rocket Sanders gained 1,443 yards in 2022.
But the bottom line still stings. Arkansas has now lost 9 straight. Bobby Petrino is 0-6 as the interim head coach. The Razorbacks have to beat Mizzou at home next weekend to avoid their first winless season in SEC play since 2019.
Texas, meanwhile, sets up a high-stakes finale at home against Texas A&M.
No. 17 Texas 52, Arkansas 37
Here’s the X-X box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
