Arch Manning teammate drops stern admission on Texas’ blowout loss to Kirby Smart, Georgia

As promising as they looked at times, Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns were in for a nightmare ride against their ghosts from the past. Once again, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs rained down on their parade with a statement thrashing in NCAA football.

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record. Manning and Texas lost to Smart’s Georgia for the third time in little over a year. Handing the Longhorns their third loss of the 2025 college football season, the Dawgs reminded every program in the SEC they are still an apex predator in the Southeast—and the entire country.

Following the 35-10 defeat during Texas’ first ever visit to Georgia in Athens, safety Michael Taaffe took it upon himself to deliver a harsh, yet sincere message to Manning and the Longhorns.

“You have a two-game season from now on. They beat us. They kicked our butts in all three phases. And we handed it to them,” Taaffe admitted, via Inside Texas on X. “Everything we did was in our control. We messed up a lot of stuff. You’ve got to look in the mirror first and realize what you could have done better.”

Michael Taaffe at Kyle Field on November 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas.

SEC standings after Georgia beats Texas

With the impressive triumph over Texas, Georgia improved to a 9-1 record in college football. Moreover, Smart and the Dawgs now boast the second-best conference record in the SEC with an impressive 7-1 mark. If the season were to end today, the SEC Championship would be decided between the Texas A&M Aggies (10-0, 7-0 SEC) and Georgia. The title matchup will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Arch Manning drops blunt confession following Texas’ season-endangering loss to Georgia

With Alabama losing to the Oklahoma Sooners (8-2, 4-2 SEC), the Crimson Tide lost some crucial ground in the race for the conference title, falling to 8-2 and 6-1 in the SEC. The Ole Miss Rebels — 6-1 in the SEC, as well — have surpassed them in third place thanks to their better overall record (10-1).

Manning and the Longhorns are between a rock and a hard place

Meanwhile, Manning and the Longhorns have dropped to fifth place in the Southeastern Conference. With a 7-3 record and a 4-2 mark against league opponents, Texas is out of the SEC Championship race but can still push for a spot in the College Football Playoffs—though the margin for error is now gone.

The burnt orange must win out, and that includes a season-finale showdown with their despised, undefeated rivals, the Aggies, during the NCAA Rivalry Week. If there’s any consolation, the Longhorns will be at home, where they’ve lost just once since the 2023 campaign. Their last defeat in Austin? None other than last season’s 30-15 loss to Georgia.