Arch Manning had plenty to answer for on the field against No. 7 Ole Miss, and for a while his play did exactly that.
Texas came into the matchup carrying the weight of two straight losses, with its College Football Playoff hopes suddenly looking shaky. Manning had been under scrutiny for his pocket presence and turnovers, and there was even chatter about whether Steve Sarkisian should make a quarterback change.
Then came the game itself, and Manning delivered in front of a tense crowd.
His parents were there too, and early in the contest cameras found them in the stands as Texas and Ole Miss were tied 3-3. That’s when a brief moment from Manning’s mom and dad set off social media. His mom could be seen making a slight bounce and a face, and some fans jumped to wild conclusions about what Manning’s father was doing beside her.
“Looks like Arch Manning’s Dad is thumbing his Mom,” a post said.
“Doing a quick oil check,” one fan said.
Doing a quick oil check
“A true shooter is going to shoot,” a second fan wrote.
A true shooter is going to shoot pic.twitter.com/yz4HBuGqMV
The game itself eventually took over the story. Texas survived with a 34-27 win over Ole Miss, even after coughing up a 21-point lead. Manning threw a touchdown pass and added his first two rushing scores of the season in the victory, giving the Longhorns a much-needed result when they needed it most.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Coach Is Still Explaining The Choices Texas Made Hurt
Pete Golding is still unpacking the two decisions that helped swing Ole Miss into a tougher spot against Texas, and both came with the kind of late-game math that coaches spend the rest of the week rethinking. The Rebels head coach said he believed the game was still within reach when he sent out the field goal unit for a 58-yard try, even though the kick carried obvious risk. Texas turned that miss into more breathing room, adding a field goal of its own soon after and keeping control of the game.
Golding also looked back on an earlier fourth-down decision late in the second quarter, saying he regretted passing up a shorter field goal in favor of going for it. For Texas, those are the kinds of moments that can quietly change the shape of a game without a single explosive play involved, especially when an opponent is trying to balance aggressiveness with caution. And for Ole Miss, the lingering frustration is that both calls still invite the same question: what might have happened had the Rebels taken the safer points instead? [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Holds Firm As AP Poll Chaos Shakes Contenders
Week 8 turned the AP Top 25 into a moving target, and the ripple effects reached deep into the national picture. With nearly a third of the top 10 taking losses, the reshuffling opened the door for teams to climb and forced several contenders to slide, including Texas, which made a notable jump as the Big 12 race and the playoff conversation both kept getting messier.
The ranking churn also underscored how volatile the season has become for the Longhorns peers, with undefeated teams in the conference taking hits and programs like Utah rising as others fell back. Miami even picked up more first-place support after BYU lost, while Wisconsin crashed the rankings after its win over USC, a reminder that one weekend can redraw the board almost completely. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Escaped Ole Miss But Now Faces A Bigger Concern
Texas got the win over Ole Miss, but the victory came with a costly price tag. The Longhorns had to manage a patchwork lineup for much of the game, with Trevor Goosby leaving on a cart and Cam Coleman exiting after a shoulder injury, while other players were also dealing with injuries or illness that affected their availability.
For a team trying to build momentum, the bigger concern now is less about the scoreboard and more about who will be available next. Texas can live with a bruising SEC win in the short term, but the way the injuries piled up against the Rebels left the Longhorns waiting on updates they would rather not need this early in the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]