The Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers played their own little "Orange Bowl" on Saturday. By the end of it, the Longhorns proved that Burnt Orange reigns as the supreme orange in college football. They also settled who owns the abbreviation, UT. What they didn't do is ease concerns about the ceiling for Arch Manning and the Texas offense.
Manning finished a respectable 14-of-19 for 201 yards passing. However, he didn't throw a touchdown and he tossed an interception after a highly questionable decision to throw into double coverage. He also took six sacks.
Arch Manning interception throwing a contested catch ball for Cam Coleman pic.twitter.com/B7CydmUFvQ
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 26, 2026
Manning's ability is clear. He can make incredibly high-level throws. However, his decision-making is still suspect at times. Even more problematic is the way he can't seem to get the Texas offense into a rhythm.
NFL scout Lance Zierlein had this to say about Manning's performance:
It just seems like Arch Manning has a difficult time executing Sarks gameplans. I'm not saying it is all on him, but nothing really comes easily or is fluid. The offense has a hard time finding a rhythm and staying in a rhythm and it's been like that for awhile. It just never…
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) September 26, 2026
"It just seems like Arch Manning has a difficult time executing Sarks gameplans," Zierlein said.
Obviously Manning's NFL Draft stock doesn't mean as much to Texas fans as his ability to lead the Longhorns to victory, but Zierlein's observation directly addresses a key issue. It doesn't look like Manning is doing a good job managing the offense in a way that will lead to victories if the defense isn't playing at their highest level.
He's also making rookie mistakes that we could write off when he was a first-time starter, but not now. Twice in this game he was penalized for throwing an illegal pass beyond the line of scrimmage.
Texas is still the No. 1 team in college football and they'll stay that way so long as they keep winning games. If Manning raises his game, they'll start winning these games handily instead of needing to squeak them out. That's the difference between being a regular-season No. 1 and making it out on the other side of the College Football Playoff as a champion.
Box score: Texas vs. Tennessee player stats and team stats
Game leaders and summary
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