Well, perhaps Arch Manning isn't the worst quarterback in college football after all. On Saturday he led Texas to an emphatic 38-7 victory over San Jose State at home, avenging an embarrassing Week 1 road loss to Ohio State.
The 21-year-old put up an impressive stat line in this one, completing 19-of-30 passes for 295 yards, four touchdowns and a single interception. He also rushed for a score himself on top of that. If there were ever a prime example of a get-right game, this was it for Manning.
Can't touch @archmanning 🤘 pic.twitter.com/dxTXeEIE15
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 6, 2025
Saturday's win gets the Longhorns back to .500 (1-1) as they prepare to finish non-conference play and enter a stacked SEC conference slate. But fans should pace themselves with the "Arch Madness" until their QB has faced another quality opponent. If the former five-star wasn't as bad as he looked in Columbus to open the season, he isn't as dominant as he looked against a cupcake on Saturday.
Arch Manning's resurrection shouldn't be declared just yet
Let's pump the breaks on re-hyping Manning exiting Week 2. Yes, it was a very impressive performance, and it reminded folks of the kind of plays he executed last year as Quinn Ewers' backup. But it was San Jose State he was facing: The Spartans lost their Week 1 matchup to Central Michigan after missing two late field goals and converting only half of their third down attempts. Texas was always expected to stomp this opponent.
The Longhorns will have cake walk foes for the next two weeks, in fact. They get UTEP in Week 3 and Sam Houston State in Week 4, both at home. Manning will have ample opportunity to stat pad and help more fans forget his debut as a full-time starter. But neither of those teams will answer the questions we still have about his game, namely his ability to deliver the ball accurately under pressure. He seemed to have some trouble adjusting to the speed of the game against Ohio State, missing several throws that Steve Sarkisian had schemed up for him. Until we see him handle that same speed differently, we should just treat him as a young quarterback with talent who remains unproven.
So, until we get to see him against another ranked opponent — Weeks 5 and 6 currently feature ranked Florida and Oklahoma teams, respectively — fans need to get a hold of themselves.