Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning set the field on fire with the best performance of his career at Texas so far in a 52-37 rout of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.
Manning finished the game with 389 passing yards and six touchdowns, completing 18 of 30 attempts for a 60 percent completion rate with zero interceptions. His total of six touchdowns, four passing, one rushing, and one receiving, ranks as the second-most in Longhorn history, just behind Clyde Littlefield’s seven-touchdown outing in 1915. He became the first player in Texas history to score a touchdown passing, rushing, and receiving in a single game.
The game began with Manning connecting on his first six passes, including a 46-yard strike to DeAndre Moore Jr., exploiting a broken Arkansas coverage. On the Longhorns’ second drive, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian dialed up a trick play reminiscent of the “Philly Special,” with Manning catching a touchdown pass from wide receiver Parker Livingstone.
Manning then returned the favor later in the first half, hitting Livingstone for a 54-yard touchdown pass, giving both players a score. By halftime, Manning had already stacked up three touchdowns, two passing and one receiving, while Texas led 24-20 in a competitive first half.
The Longhorns broke away in the second half, opening with a five-play drive that concluded with Manning’s three-yard rushing touchdown, completing the rare trifecta of passing, rushing, and receiving scores. This performance made Manning the first SEC quarterback since Dak Prescott in 2014 to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game.
On a third-quarter drive, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning showcased his pocket awareness and mobility, evading Arkansas defenders before firing a touchdown pass to Moore in the back of the end zone. Later, a 50-yard connection to Livingstone set up Manning’s fourth passing touchdown, increasing Texas’ lead to 45-23.
The victory improved No. 17 Texas’ record to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in SEC play, while Arkansas sank to 2-9 and 0-7 in conference games.
The Longhorns will now face in-state rival and No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0) in their regular-season finale next Friday.
