The Texas Longhorns defeated UTSA and remain undefeated to start the 2026 college football season. However, Arch Manning was far from satisfied with his performance and remains focused on taking his game to the next level in the short term.
“I’m disappointed in how I played and how we played. Got to be better,” Manning stated during his press conference once the game concluded. It is clear that the quarterback’s high standards for himself do not allow him to have any dips in his performance.
A winning team needs players with a winning mentality. The Longhorns have that type of leader in Manning, who is looking to take his game to the highest level in pursuit of great things in the NCAAF.
Why was Manning not satisfied?
Arch Manning went 16-of-32 for 161 yards, two touchdown passes to Isaiah Coleman, and an interception in Texas’ 30-6 win over UTSA. Despite getting the W and throwing those early TDs, Arch wasn’t too thrilled with how things played out.
Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns looks to pass in the second half against the UTSA.
He struggled to build rhythm while under constant pressure, took a beating behind a shaky offensive line, and missed a bunch of throws that kept the Longhorns from pulling away earlier. Between the continuous scrambles, heavy hits, and a sub-50% completion rate, it definitely felt like a frustrating and sloppy outing for him.
Sarkisian prepares for what’s ahead
While the Longhorns have started their season undefeated, it is clear that the competition is very even and they cannot afford to let their guard down. Steve Sarkisian, the mastermind behind this team, made that clear to the media following the win over UTSA.
“Anybody can beat anybody in the SEC. We’ve learned that, so we’ve got to get ourselves ready to go in all three phases come next Saturday,” the head coach stated.
What’s next for Texas?
The Longhorns are heading into a brutal three-game stretch. It all kicks off this Saturday, September 26th, with a road test against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium—a hostile environment to see what this team is made of away from home.
After a well-timed bye week to tweak the offense, they gear up for the main event on October 10th: the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, that neutral-site classic that always turns into a total pressure cooker. To cap off the run, Texas returns to Austin on October 17th to host Florida for what should be another high-intensity SEC clash.
