Arch Manning Fires Two Early Touchdowns as Texas Battles Oklahoma, But NFL Draft Doubts Still Swirl

Arch Manning torched Oklahoma’s defense for two first-half touchdown passes in Saturday’s Red River Rivalry, and the Texas quarterback’s name is now the single hottest search term in American sports — bigger than UCLA, Oregon, Nebraska and every other marquee college football program competing on the same Saturday. The Longhorns needed every bit of Manning’s early strike capability after the Sooners answered with a blocked-punt touchdown of their own at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, entered the showdown with No. 1 Texas sitting at 4-0 and riding a win over then-No. 1 Ohio State back in September. Through four starts, he had completed 73 of 115 passes for 862 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, numbers solid enough to keep Texas unbeaten but inconsistent enough to fuel a swirling national debate about whether the redshirt junior is truly a top-tier NFL prospect or a product of hype built around his family name.

Manning Strikes Twice to Answer Oklahoma

Texas opened the scoring just 6:56 into the first quarter when Manning, working with pristine field position off a short Oklahoma punt, found wide receiver Cam Coleman wide open behind the secondary for a 41-yard touchdown on the very first play of the drive. Oklahoma answered in bizarre fashion midway through the second quarter, blocking a Texas punt and recovering it in the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. Manning didn’t flinch. He led the Longhorns on a 75-yard, nine-play response drive and delivered a 34-yard strike over the middle to Ryan Wingo, putting Texas back in front, 14-7, and reasserting control of the rivalry game in front of a sellout crowd at the State Fair of Texas.

The performance arrived at a pivotal moment for Manning’s draft narrative. Just hours before kickoff, an anonymous AFC assistant general manager told ESPN he was skeptical of the “blind faith” surrounding Manning’s pro prospects, with the outlet’s latest 2027 quarterback rankings slotting him behind Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr. Scouts have pointed to a high time-to-throw average of 2.95 seconds and a 9.8 percent off-target rate as red flags, even as Manning continues piling up wins as the face of the nation’s No. 1 team.

Rivalry Stakes and What Comes Next

Texas entered the day as the rare Red River Rivalry participant riding a two-game win streak in the series, having throttled Oklahoma 23-6 in Dallas a year ago behind a defense-first formula. This year’s edition flipped the script early, with Manning’s arm doing the heavy lifting rather than the ground game or defense. A win keeps Texas unbeaten, extends Steve Sarkisian’s mastery of the rivalry, and gives Manning a signature moment to point to the next time his name surfaces in Heisman or NFL draft conversations — both of which have trended the opposite direction of Texas’ record in recent weeks, with Heisman voters publicly stating he isn’t close to their ballot.

Manning was also recently named one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, honoring the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback, a nod to the statistical consistency he has shown even amid the scrutiny. Bettors tracking the Longhorns’ championship odds have watched the number shift throughout the season, and with Manning now adding another signature performance against Oklahoma, oddsmakers will likely move quickly on Texas’ playoff and national title DraftKings promo code markets in the days ahead.

Whatever happens over the Longhorns’ remaining schedule, Saturday’s performance against Oklahoma will shape how evaluators view Manning heading into the stretch run of the season. A redshirt junior with his bloodline and his team’s win total will always draw outsized attention, but Saturday’s two early touchdown strikes gave him something concrete to lean on the next time someone questions whether the hype is deserved. For bettors monitoring the Longhorns’ title odds and Manning’s weekly performance props, the line movement off this showing will be worth watching closely heading into the back half of the SEC slate.

Texas’ path forward includes continued SEC play with national championship implications squarely in view. Manning’s next opportunity to quiet the skeptics comes as the Longhorns look to protect their perfect record and keep their spot atop the AP Top 25, with every throw now being measured against both his famous surname and the growing chorus of NFL evaluators wondering if the ceiling is as high as advertised.