Many stars put on a show in Week 13 of the 2025 college football. However, no one outshined Arch Manning, who drove the No. 17 Texas Longhorns to a 52-37 home victory against the unranked—and winless in the SEC—Arkansas Razorbacks.
On paper, the 2-9 (0-7 SEC) Arkansas should never be a threat to Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Still, in the NCAA, anything can happen on any given Saturday. The Longhorns didn’t try their luck, steamrolling the Razorbacks to keep playoff hopes alive in The Lone Star State.
Following the win over Arkansas, Texas improved to 8-3 on the season while boasting a 5-2 mark in the SEC. Now, the Longhorns head into a decisive rivalry matchup with the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (11-0, 7-0 SEC). It won’t be an easy task by any means, but riding on Manning’s shoulders, Texas is as confident as ever. On that note, the sophomore quarterback admitted that struggling throughout the year has helped him reach his current form.
“I think going through tough games and the struggle. I feel like I needed that as a quarterback,” Manning admitted postgame, via Inside Texas. “It’s not easy, but trying to overcome it and really just going through those, seeing different looks and experiences playing against tough teams has helped me a lot.“
Manning’s numbers against Arkansas
Without a doubt, Manning put on his best game of the 2025 NCAA season—and his college football career—during the 52-37 victory over the Razorbacks. Manning finished the game with 18 completions for 389 yards, 4 touchdown passes, and no turnovers. His production didn’t end there, as the heir to football’s royal quarterback family added another touchdown through the ground, and even caught a pass for a score.
Still, the 21-year-old wasn’t satisfied with the way the game played out. “But today wasn’t all that clean. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up. Could have been way better,” Arch Manning noted on the Longhorns’ performance.
Lone Star Showdown will decide Texas’ fate
Facing off against the Aggies in the college football season finale is always a pivotal matchup for the Longhorns. Whenever Texas and Texas A&M meet, the game is circled in red in the calendar. Still, this time around, it will be all the more decisive.
A win over the only undefeated program in the Southeastern Conference would surely earn the Longhorns a ticket to the College Football Playoffs. However, a loss would most likely end their hopes of making the postseason. With an 8-4 (5-3 conference) record, Manning and Texas’ claim would be severely hampered. Thus, the Lone Star Showdown at The Forty Acres will be one of the most important meetings between the despised schools in Texas in recent history.