Arch Manning Throws Game-Winning Touchdown Pass to Beat LSU 22-21
Arch Manning threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Raleek Brown with three seconds left on Saturday night to give Texas a 22-21 win at LSU.
The game-winning drive might have been a Heisman moment if Manning were having a better season, but there probably will not be a Heisman ceremony coming for him next month. Because of the touchdown strike, however, there will almost certainly be a playoff game in Manning’s future.
ARCH MANNING COMES IN CLUTCH FOR TEXAS IN DEATH VALLEY 😱 Texas racks up its fifth top 25 win of the year! pic.twitter.com/GKCSMckphy
Two months after leading a historic rally to beat No. 1 Ohio State, Manning showed the clutch gene once again. When Texas beat the Buckeyes, he was expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Maybe a storybook year is still developing, just after some twists and turns. Manning said something dumb at a press conference, suffered poor performances, and dealt with suggestions from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian that his starting job could be in jeopardy.
The Longhorns dropped from No. 1 to No. 19 with consecutive losses to unranked opponents. At 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC, the team has taken its lumps and still has a ton of offensive issues, but they are nearing lock status for the College Football Playoff.
Concluding the schedule with a split against conference cellar-dwellers Arkansas and Texas A&M will likely suffice. On Saturday night, Manning began blazing the trail for wherever this winding college career is ultimately going to take us.
That scoring pass to Brown softened the impact of a heavily erratic performance while granting him the opportunity to steer his collegiate path in a positive direction. The LSU performance served as a microcosm of the season, starting with an 11-play opening drive that finished with a touchdown run.
Manning then threw three interceptions, marking his third multi-interception game of the year. He finished 19-of-35 for 174 yards and was sacked four times.
When everybody was ready to count Manning and the Longhorns out, he found a way to deliver. He was ecstatic after finding Brown for the game-winning score, and rightfully so, with jubilation that rivaled the Ohio State win.
Since Week 2, Manning has shown he is not the all-time great college quarterback it was easy to assume he would become. He remains a flawed player who keeps making the same mistakes.
If Manning is still inaccurate over the middle, still gets happy feet in the pocket and still throws too many YOLO deep balls in his fourth year of college football, he will probably never change. Hopefully expectations have shifted accordingly as the Longhorns close out the remainder of their schedule.
Disclaimer: The insights provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.