Arch Manning’s first major stumble in a Texas uniform came with all the noise fans were waiting to unleash.
Texas fell to Oklahoma, and with the loss came a brutal shift in how Manning is being discussed. He finished 19 of 31 for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but two fourth-quarter interceptions became the defining plays of the day. Oklahoma used them to close out the win and send Texas tumbling from the No. 1 spot in the country.
The Longhorns are now 4-1, and the road ahead looks nothing like a soft landing. Their next five opponents - Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, and LSU - are all ranked in the top 25.
That result only sharpened the criticism already circling around Manning. On X, one Tennessee Titans fan said, “I just cannot accept the notion that Arch Manning would make the Titans better.”
Another user was even more direct: “Please don’t ever talk to me about no Arch Manning again. If this kid goes first round that’s straight Nepotism and you know it,”
Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III took a different angle, writing, “And that’s why Arch Manning needs to come back for another year of College Football. Just needs more experience,”
Barstool Sports’ Brandon Walker was blunt as well: “The thing about Arch Manning is he’s just not that good,”
One more post piled on the decision-making concerns, saying, “Arch Manning has some kind of talent athletically, but he is amongst the worst decision makers I’ve ever seen at the position. Baffling, baffling throws in the 4th Qtr that essentially single-handedly lost them the game, along with special teams.
Lost to a team that was considerably worse than you in so many facets. Hats off to OU-they picked off a team that was not ready to fight,”
There’s still time for Manning to change the conversation. Texas has seven regular-season games left, plus presumably some postseason games, to answer the doubt. But for now, this loss to Oklahoma is the one people will keep pointing back to.
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Three Overlooked Sooners Transfers Just Changed How Fans See This Team
The win over No. 1 Texas did more than reshape the Big 12 race for Oklahoma, it also offered a fresh look at the transfer class that has quietly become part of the Sooners identity. Lloyd Avant led the team in rushing, Dakoda Fields found the end zone on special teams, and offensive lineman EMarion Harris helped keep John Mateer upright in a game where protection mattered on nearly every snap.
For a roster still taking shape, those kinds of contributions carry real weight because they show how many different paths this team can win with. The Sooners did not just get star turns in the rivalry upset, they got useful, game-changing snaps from players who arrived with less fanfare, and that kind of depth tends to change how a team is viewed long after one Saturday has passed. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Has A New Argument Against The AP Poll
Oklahomas win over No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry should have sharpened the case for the Sooners in the AP Top 25, especially with the schedule they have already survived. At 3-2, Oklahoma has taken its lumps against Michigan and Georgia, but the bigger picture now includes a victory over the nations top-ranked team, which is the kind of result poll voters usually reward.
Instead, the Sooners were left out of the latest poll, opening the door to a broader conversation about how teams are being judged early in the season. Compared with some of the ranked teams ahead of them, Oklahomas mix of strength of schedule and quality wins gives it a real argument, and the Texas result only adds to the frustration of being overlooked. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Is Doubling Down On What Helped Oklahoma Win
After a loss to Oklahoma, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian chose not to shake up his staff, declining to give up play-calling duties or make changes on special teams. It was a noteworthy stance after a game in which the Longhorns were once again undone by areas that have lingered as concerns all season, especially in the kicking game and on an offense that has struggled to stay efficient.
Sarkisian acknowledged the problems with both special teams execution and offensive production, but he did not signal that a major pivot is coming. For Oklahoma, that is the kind of postgame decision that can matter beyond one rivalry result, because the same issues the Sooners exposed are the ones Texas is still betting it can fix without a staff reset. [Read more 🡒]