Even though he wasn’t perfect, Arch Manning helped the Texas football team remain so.
Manning threw for 201 yards as No. 1 Texas recorded a 20-17 win Saturday at No. 14 Tennessee. Manning completed 14 of his 19 passes, but the senior quarterback was held without a touchdown for just the second time as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
Manning had some moments in front of an announced crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium, a venue that his famed uncle once called home. His 29-yard pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr. in the first quarter was a highlight-reel play, and he was 5-for-5 on the Longhorns’ two touchdown drives.
Manning, though, was sacked six times and threw an interception on a deep ball that was thrown inside of the Tennessee 5-yard line. He was also penalized twice for throwing the football after he crossed the line of scrimmage.
“The first one, I think he thought he was getting it off before the line to gain,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I actually think on the second one, we were in a third-and-12, and I think he was operating off the first-and-10 marker, not the stripe that was actually where we were. I guess it can happen that way.”
Manning later confirmed Sarkisian’s assessment and added, “That was on me.”
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How Arch Manning’s performance impacts the Heisman race
Manning’s performance against the Volunteers didn’t help his Heisman Trophy candidacy. At one point this week, he had the fourth-best odds at +1,400 on DraftKings. Late Saturday afternoon, those odds had tumbled to No. 11 at +3000.
For the season, Manning has thrown for 862 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 63.5% of his passes. He has also rushed 32 times for 82 yards.
What’s next for the Texas Longhorns?
The team that Manning leads is also still undefeated and it’s unlikely that the Longhorns will lose their top billing in the Associated Press poll on Sunday. Texas (4-0, 1-0) has a bye on next week’s schedule and will return to action Oct. 10 for its annual rivalry game in Dallas with Oklahoma.
This article originally published at Texas football: Arch Manning gets the win at Tennessee while Heisman hopes sink.
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