How Arch Manning Performed in Texas’s Upset Loss at Florida

Texas traveled to The Swamp and was stunned by Florida 29–21 on a day when Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning had an up-and-down performance, firing two touchdown passes but tossing two interceptions. Manning, under duress by the Gators’ pass rush for much of the contest, had some moments of brilliance but also made some frustrating mistakes.

Here’s an in-depth look at how he fared Saturday.

Manning’s day started off shakily, as he fired a couple of near-interceptions on each of Texas’s first two drives—one when he stared down a receiver, telegraphing his pass to the Florida defense, and another at the end of the first quarter when he fired a completion to sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wingo through an extremely tight window.

But Manning, aided by a recovered fumble by the Texas defense, found his stride and took advantage of favorable field position starting at the Gators’ 45-yard line. After a two-yard run, Manning fired a 33-yard completion to Parker Livingstone to get the Longhorns in the red zone—then notched his first touchdown pass of the day two plays later, a six-yarder to running back Quintrevion Wisner.

Unfortunately, Manning’s struggles continued on Texas’s ensuing drive, as he was unable to set his feet with the rush collapsing the pocket and he missed wide receiver Emmett Mosley V for what could have been a potential walk-in touchdown. The miss especially hurt, as the Gators blocked the ensuing punt into the back of the end zone for a safety to make it 19–7.

After two straight punts to start the second half, Manning and the Longhorns hit paydirt on the team’s third drive of the half. Manning, on the heels of converting a third-and-6 with an 18-yard completion to Mosley, made his best throw of the day on the ensuing play.

With the pocket closing, Manning felt the rush, stepped up in the pocket and fired a beautiful deep ball down the field—connecting with Wingo for a 38-yard touchdown on the post route to cut into the Florida lead and make it a 22-14 game.

Texas’s fourth drive of the second half perfectly illustrated Manning’s day. Manning made a huge play, as he stood tall in the pocket, absorbed a big hit, and delivered an on-target, 19-yard completion to DeAndre Moore Jr. Two plays later, Manning picked up a huge gain with a 36-yard scamper down the sidelines. But a crucial mistake would follow. Looking for Mosley on a route over the middle of the field, Manning badly overshot the sophomore wideout and the pass was intercepted by Gators safety Jordan Castell.

On the next drive, Manning—this time with a clean pocket—was looking for it all downfield on a deep ball but was picked off.

During a drive that began with 4:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Manning, on two consecutive plays, showed what makes him dangerous. On two consecutive plays, Manning escaped the rush and connected for two huge chunks while throwing on the run, picking up gains of 26 and 42 yards. Wisner then punched the ball in for a one-yard touchdown to make it 29–21.

Manning and the Longhorns got the ball back down eight points with under a minute to go and a chance to potentially tie the game. But the drive took a hit when Manning was sacked and his helmet popped off, meaning he had to sit out a play. On the strength of a Matthew Caldwell completed pass and a defensive penalty by the Gators, the Texas had the ball in Florida territory.

But a near-interception that was ruled incomplete and a sack followed. Then, as Manning attempted to spike the ball, time expired and the Gators emerged triumphant 29–21.

All in all, it was a mixed performance by Manning. When given time by the Longhorns’ offensive line, he made some throws that made it seem like he was taking the next step as a starting QB. That said, Manning also looked uneven at times, as he rushed throws and was off-target on some passes even with a clean pocket.

He’ll look for more consistency when the Longhorns meet Oklahoma next Saturday.

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