-
dave wilson
Austin, Texas – after texas quarterback arch manning Used every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame to snatch a touchdown pass on a trick play from the wide receiver parker livingstone Longhorns’ first quarter win 52-37 Above arkansas On Saturday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian turned back to celebrate and saw a familiar face.
,vince young “I was getting excited,” Sarkisian said of the legendary Longhorns quarterback. He said, ‘Man, I wish I had that game.’
Manning did something that Young or any other Longhorn quarterback had not done at Texas. Manning became the first player in school history to catch a TD, throw one and run for another Saturday, when he scored six scores and passed for 389 yards.
Manning completed three passes that covered more than 40 yards (on Saturday he had two passes this season), and four wideouts had more than 74 yards receiving, including deandre moore jrAll three of whose catches went for scores. But Moore was also impressed with Manning’s hands on that reception, giving the signal-caller a high grade.
“Oh, 10 out of 10,” Moore said. “I didn’t know he had something like that, man. I think he has to go back to his basketball days. He went up and grabbed that thing.”
No. 17 Texas (8-3, 5-2 in the SEC) kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a win over the Razorbacks (2-9, 0-7), who lost their ninth consecutive game. Texas’s 52 points were the second-most points against an SEC team in school history, behind only the 66–31 victory. ole miss in 2012.
Saturday’s win followed a week of controversy following a 35-10 loss to Texas Georgia And Sarkisian denied reports that he and Texas may part ways after the season or that he is interested in other jobs.
Sarkisian said, “I didn’t want to be a distraction, but I felt like it was building up.” He said he was happy with the response from his players.
It was Manning’s third game with at least 300 yards passing in the last four weeks, coming at a crucial time as the Longhorns were preparing to host No. 3 seed No. 1. Texas A&M On Friday, there’s one last chance to impress the playoff committee.
“The key to practice … is to control what we can control, and what we control is going to be really good preparation for A&M’s undefeated top-five team coming here next Friday night,” Sarkisian said. “We have to prepare really well so we can play our best football, because our best football will be required.”
Manning’s performance is encouraging because, despite his gaudy numbers, he said he feels he still hasn’t played his best game.
“I left a lot out there,” he said. “I could have been more precise.”
But Sarkisian said he has been surprised by Manning’s learning process this season, which began with a 14-7 loss to the No. 1 seed. Ohio State In the season opener Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown with one interception. They threw for less than 200 yards against each utep, oklahoma And kentuckyBut his average in the last four games has been 328.5 yards.
“The thing I’m probably most impressed with is his poise,” Sarkisian said. “Even going into the game, he feels different than he did two months ago in pregame. Even in the moments tonight when things got a little rough, he seems so in control because he’s avoiding the crowd and keeping his eyes on the field. I think two months ago Arch was just keeping his head down and running as fast as he could toward the line of scrimmage.”
With a final test six days away, Sarkisian will put a lot on Manning’s shoulders.
“He’s playing at a high level,” Sarkisian said. “And he’s playing at a high level at the right time for us.”
