Arch Manning is walking into the toughest test of his season with momentum finally on his side, and LSU is the defense waiting to see whether this version of the Texas quarterback is real.
For most of the last two seasons, the Arch Manning ride in Austin has come with plenty of hype and just as many frustrating stretches. The flashes have always been there.
The consistency has not. But that has changed lately, and the timing could hardly be better for Texas as Manning heads back to his home state for a matchup with LSU.
The challenge is obvious. LSU brings the No. 6 defense in the country, and Texas is still trying to steady itself after the loss to Alabama. Manning may be heating up, but the Tigers are the most dangerous defense he has seen yet.
The pressure around Manning has never been small. With a grandfather and two uncles who were among the greatest quarterbacks of their eras in the NFL, every step he takes gets measured against a family standard that is impossible to ignore. That kind of name brings expectation with it, and for Manning, the expectation has been perfection.
He has not been perfect this season, even as he enters his second year as Texas’ starter. Through his first six games, the preseason Heisman candidate had 11 touchdown passes, five interceptions and only one game over 300 passing yards, which came in Week 1 against Texas State.
Steve Sarkisian stood by him through the rough patches, even after the Oklahoma game when he said Manning would not face nearly as much criticism if his name were “Joe Smith.”
Then came a sharper message from the Texas coach: “I need to see a better version of Arch Manning.”
Since then, Manning has looked like a different quarterback. Over his last two games, he has completed 44 of 58 passes for 517 yards, six touchdowns and no turnovers. Texas has scored 65 points in those two wins, and Manning has looked far more like the player the Longhorns need him to be.
Now comes the next layer of difficulty. LSU’s defense is not just good; it is disruptive.
The Tigers rank No. 6 in havoc rate across FBS, with a 20% havoc percentage that means they create disruption on one out of every five plays. That is a bad matchup for any quarterback, and especially one who has not yet faced this kind of pressure.
The best comparison from Manning’s season came against Tennessee, the last defense better than LSU at forcing havoc. In that game, he went 14 of 19 for 201 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and six sacks.
That kind of disruption would be a problem for Texas. If Manning gets knocked off rhythm, the Longhorns may have to lean on a run game they have not been able to establish consistently. Texas ranks No. 68 in success rate on run plays, and it will also be without top-scoring back Hollywood Smothers for the rest of the season.
Manning’s return to Louisiana adds another wrinkle, even if he tried to downplay it this week. Asked about his ties to the state and his first trip back there as a starter, he said, “We’re trying to go 1-0 this week," Manning said this week when asked about his connections to Louisiana and making his first trip back into the state as a starter.
"I really don’t have any legacy, you know, I have no family that went to LSU. I’m from New Orleans, which is an hour from Baton Rouge.
So there’s no real, there’s no connection, really. It’s not about me at all this week.”
But he has talked before about what it means to him. At the Manning Passing Academy over the summer, he said, “It’s special for me,” Manning said at a media availability while at the Manning Passing Academy over the summer.
He also said he had rooted for Ole Miss at Tiger Stadium at times and remembered being there for Joe Burrow’s LSU team beating Georgia in 2018, along with the 2012 top-five LSU-Alabama game.
“I grew up going to games there,” Manning said. “Great atmosphere.
They’ve got really passionate fans. So I’m excited for the opportunity for our team.
SEC road game at night, that’s what it’s all about.”
In Other News...
Will Wade Sent LSU A Warning After That Blowout
A lopsided win over Texas Southern did not leave Will Wade sounding particularly satisfied, and that was the point. LSU got the kind of result that usually calms a coach down, but Wade instead used the postgame mood to stress how much sharper the Tigers need to be before the schedule tightens up with Louisiana Tech and Gonzaga looming next.
Donovan Dent said Wade has kept the focus on concentration, and the issues the coach pointed to were the kind that tend to matter more once the competition rises. LSU had offensive inefficiencies and turnovers in the blowout, and Wade made it clear those mistakes cannot linger if the Tigers want to be ready for stronger opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Defends LSU Spectacle After Alabama Loss Questions
The scene around LSU football has become part of the product, and Lane Kiffin made it clear he sees that as a feature, not a flaw. With celebrities like Kevin Costner, Shaquille ONeal, Paul Skenes, Angel Reese and Olivia Dunne in the building for the Alabama game, along with the kind of sideline pageantry that tends to draw attention, Kiffin said those moments are designed to help recruiting and shape how the program is viewed nationally.
Even with the loss to Alabama and the inevitable noise that followed, Kiffin pushed the focus back toward the bigger picture. His point was simple enough: if LSU wants to sell itself as a destination, it has to embrace the spotlight and not get bogged down by outside criticism, even when the spectacle becomes part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Moved The Ball All Night But One Problem Ruined It
LSU moved the ball well enough to make the final score feel a little deceptive, but the Tigers still walked away with a 31-13 loss to Alabama after failing to turn all that production into enough points. Sam Leavitt threw for 380 yards and LSU actually outgained the Crimson Tide in total offense, while Jackson Harris was a steady target with 11 catches for 166 yards. Even with Dilin Jones finding the end zone and the special teams adding six points, the Tigers could never fully cash in on drives that kept producing yards but not enough damage.
The biggest issue was the kind of imbalance that can sink a night like this. LSU's offensive line struggled to open rushing lanes and gave up four sacks, leaving the ground game stuck behind the passing attack, while Alabama's defense kept the Tigers from finishing possessions cleanly. On the other side, LSU's front did its part against the run, but the secondary gave up three passing touchdowns, and that combination left a strong yardage total with very little to show for it. [Read more 🡒]