Steve Sarkisian praises Arch Manning’s growth: ‘So much more confident’
Steve Sarkisian said Arch Manning’s confidence and ability to manage protections elevated Texas’ offense in Vanderbilt win.
If any doubts were lingering into Week 10 of the college football season on whether Arch Manning and Texas football could put together a postseason run, the Longhorns appear to have cleared them all up.
In what was his best performance of the season, Manning led the No. 13 Longhorns to a 34-31 win over No. 11 Vanderbilt with a big day in the air as he completed 23 of 33 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-setting 76-yard touchdown to Ryan Wingo on the first play of the game.
It’s a performance that Steve Sarkisian and Co. will look to build on and sustain the momentum from as they are in their second bye week of the season.
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The win over the Commodores also came after the Longhorns finished a stretch of 42 days on the road with two narrow wins against Kentucky and Mississippi State, with the latter including a comeback from down 31-14 at one point in the game and backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell throwing the eventual game-winning TD pass in overtime as Manning got hurt.
The Longhorns now enter the home stretch of their season, where they are looking to secure their third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff under Sarkisian. In the first unveiling of the CFP rankings this past week, Texas found itself seeded as one of the “first teams out” in the CFP top 25 rankings, meaning that the Longhorns have some work to do in the final month of the regular season to make the 12-team CFP field.
Here’s when Texas is set to return, including a look at the Longhorns’ remaining schedule:
Does Texas football play today?
No. Texas is on its second bye week of the 2025 season.
The Longhorns return to action in Week 12, when they travel to Athens, Georgia for a primetime 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff against No. 5 Georgia. Texas took last year’s highly emotional meeting against Georgia in Austin, which featured beer cans being thrown on the field after an overturned defensive pass interference call that went against the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart calling out ESPN and the officials postgame.
Entering the bye week at 7-2 on the season, the Longhorns have become bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive season. A win against Georgia to kick off the home stretch, which also features games against Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M, would be a significant booster for Texas’ CFP resume, as the Longhorns have just two ranked wins on the season.
Texas football schedule 2025:
Here’s a look at Texas’ schedule in 2025, including past scores and future available kickoff times and TV channel information:
- Saturday, Aug. 30: No. 3 Ohio State 14, Texas 7
- Saturday, Sept. 6: Texas 38, San Jose State 7
- Saturday, Sept. 13: Texas 27, UTEP 10
- Saturday, Sept. 20: Texas 55, Sam Houston 0
- Saturday, Sept. 27: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 4: Florida 29, Texas 21 *
- Saturday, Oct. 11: Texas 23, No. 6 Oklahoma 6 *
- Saturday, Oct. 18: Texas 16, Kentucky 13 *
- Saturday, Oct. 25: Texas 45, Mississippi State 38 (OT) *
- Saturday, Nov. 1: Texas 34, No. 9 Vanderbilt 31 *
- Saturday, Nov. 8: BYE
- Saturday, Nov. 15: at No. 5 Georgia * | 7:30 p.m. ET | ABC (Fubo)
- Saturday, Nov. 22: vs. Arkansas *
- Friday, Nov. 28: vs. No. 3 Texas A&M *
* Denotes SEC game
