Finally, the Texas Longhorns‘ debut in the 2026 NCAAF season took place, and it was nothing less than a convincing victory. Although Arch Manning had moments of inconsistency, including an interception, Steve Sarkisian was pleased with what his quarterback accomplished in the win over Texas State.
“Like anything, he’s human. There’s a couple misreads, but geez, you know, he’s over 300 yards, four touchdowns, managed the game really well, and was very efficient,” Sark stated during his press conference.
Manning, for his part, revealed that he felt very comfortable with his team’s offensive firepower: “I like how we got a lot of guys involved. Seems like we have a lot of playmakers.”
It will be a pivotal season for No. 16, with many already projecting him as a potential No. 1 pick in the next draft. Will Manning be able to fix his mistakes and make the big leap in his career?
Arch Manning’s numbers against Texas State
Starting his first full year at the helm, Arch Manning couldn’t have scripted a smoother 2026 debut, leading No. 5 Texas to a dominant 59-7 blowout over Texas State. The n.16 was locked in, slinging it for 305 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and completing 20 of 27 passes before taking a well-earned rest early in the third quarter.
Outside of a single end-zone pick right before halftime, he ran the offense with surgical precision, connecting big with transfer targets like Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo to put the Longhorns up comfortably before gear-shifting into next week’s monster matchup against Ohio State Buckeyes.
Keep moving forward
Steve Sarkisian‘s team got off to a strong start to the season, but what lies ahead will be far from easy. Getting into the SEC title race means picking up as many positive results as possible early in the campaign, something the Longhorns will look to secure in their upcoming games:
- Week 2, vs Ohio State (September 12)
- Week 3, vs UTSA (September 19)
- Week 4, at Tennessee (September 26)
- Week 5, vs Oklahoma (October 10) – Cotton Bowl
- Week 6, vs Florida (October 17)
