Texas grabbed a 34-27 win over No. 8 Ole Miss Saturday night, but the real story was the debut of “Edgy Arch Manning,” a confident, trash-talking version of the quarterback who decided to fight back against a week of intense criticism. This wasn’t the “Ah Shucks” kid we’d seen before, and Longhorns fans were on a rollercoaster all game.
From National Punching Bag to “Edgy Arch”
Man, Manning had been through it. For more than a week, he was the national punching bag. Every college football expert on TV dissected his plays, his mistakes, his blunders. They said he was overrated, that he lacked confidence, that he should be benched, or even transfer. But you know what Arch said after the Ole Miss game? “I’ve been hyped up all my life. You know, everyone in preseason and all this stuff. I think I kinda like being disregarded and counted out.” Coach Steve Sarkisian had already noticed a shift. He said Manning was “edgy” in practice, with the weight of the college football world pushing down on him. “I would use the word edgy, and I like it,” Sarkisian said before the game. He even mentioned a text he got: “that we lost the ‘Ah Shucks’ kid, you know, and we’ve created something else.” Manning himself had declared earlier in the week, “I think we just starting letting it rip… Our backs are against the wall right now and there’s no place I’d rather be. Just let her rip. I’m gonna die on the hill of I’m letting it rip.”
First Half Fireworks, Third Quarter Fright
That edginess totally carried over into the game against the Rebels. Manning was electric in the first half. The junior led Texas on four scoring drives for 24 yards, and honestly, it should have been more if Cam Coleman had held onto a perfect deep pass in the first quarter. On the sideline, this dude was hyped, screaming “I’m f-ing coming!” Manning looked every bit the star everyone has projected him to be. Sarkisian loved it. “One thing I know about Arch Manning, he’s a fighter,” he said after the win. “I like the edgy, kind of borderline arrogant, full-of-swagger Arch. I just feel like that’s when he’s at his best.” He even noted that the team responded, playing with that same fire.
But then, the third quarter hit. Just like the past two games, the Texas offense couldn’t get out of its own way. Manning got blasted from his blindside, fumbled, and Ole Miss defensive end Kam Franklin jumped on it in the endzone for a Rebels touchdown. Suddenly, “Edgy Arch” looked a lot like the “Deer in the headlights Arch” we’d seen too much of this season. He even got hit so hard on another sack that he had to leave the game for a full concussion test. The struggles in the third quarter felt like a painful repeat of the OU and Florida games.
Still, the Longhorns got the win, and Sarkisian is all-in on this new, fiery version of his quarterback. He said the team responds to Manning’s fire. That’s what we’re all looking at now. Can “Edgy Arch” keep that swagger without the scares? It’s gonna be a ride, and we’re definitely watching every snap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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