On Saturday, Arch Manning opened the Texas football season on a positive note.
Manning completed 74.1% of his passes while throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns in a 59-7 win over Texas State. The senior’s 305 yards were the most for a Texas quarterback in a season opener since Sam Ehlinger‘s 426-yard, five-touchdown outburst against UTEP in 2020.
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Manning was intercepted once. He also took one sack.
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Before he was replaced by backup quarterback KJ Lacey midway through the third quarter, Manning attempted 27 passes. One of those attempts, though, stood out to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian as “his best throw of the day.”
On the first drive of the second half, Manning delivered a 20-yard strike to Cam Coleman in the end zone. On the play, Manning was crushed by 296-pound defensive lineman Chancellor Owens.
“It’s nice having Cam Coleman on your team, you throw it to a certain spot only he can get it.” Manning said. “I’m blessed to have him on my team. He’s a really good player.”
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Manning credited a contact drill that Texas director of football performance Torre Becton runs on Tuesdays during UT’s preseason practices for how he was able to make that throw while staring down Owens. Texas receiver Ryan Wingo later said that “we have to be tougher than (everybody).”
Up next for Texas is No. 1 Ohio State, which limited Ball State to 120 passing yards on Saturday. Last year, Manning threw for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 14-7 loss in Columbus.
This article originally published at Despite 1 interception, Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning had a strong season opener.
