No matter how it turns out, whenever Arch Manning’s football career is said and done, not many will bring up Texas’s 16–13 win over Kentucky on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
It wasn’t pretty.
On his first pass attempt of the day, Manning rolled to his right and tried to throw a dart to tight end Jordan Washington. It was tipped at the line and fell incomplete. Little did the sophomore quarterback know, that’s how the most of the night would go.
After showing big signs of growth the past few weeks—including a massive 23–6 win over Oklahoma last weekend in the Red River Rivalry—Manning took a step back on Saturday night.
Manning threw for just 132 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions on 12-of-27 passing in the Longhorns’ win. He was just 5-of-12 for 52 yards in the second half and overtime.
Manning’s longest throw of the night was a 31-yard strike to wide receiver Emmett Mosley late in the third quarter, a connection that set up Mason Shipley’s 53-yard field goal that gave Texas a 10–7 lead. But that was Manning’s only completion in an ugly stretch from the late second to early fourth quarter where he only completed 1-of-9 pass attempts.
Manning missed wide-open receivers all night long. The 44.4% completion percentage is the worst of his career in nine starts.
Credit where credit is due, though. Manning’s best throw of the game arrived at the right moment. In a tie game at 13–13 late in the fourth quarter, Texas faced a third-and-7 at Kentucky’s 39-yard line. Manning delivered a strike to DeAndre Moore Jr. for a nine-yard gain to move the chains, setting up Shipley’s go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky went on to tie the game and force overtime, but the Wildcats were held off the scoreboard on their OT possession thanks to Texas’s goal-line stand. Manning didn’t have to do much to set up Shipley’s game-winning 45-yard field goal.
Manning’s relatives—his grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli—combined to go 7–1 against Kentucky in their college football careers. Make that 8–1 for the family tree after the 21-year-old did just enough to get Texas in the win column.
Manning and the Longhorns, now 5–2 overall and 2–1 in the SEC, visit Mississippi State at David Wade Stadium next Saturday. An offense that gained just 172 total yards and tallied eight first downs against Kentucky can only go up from here. Right?
More College Football on Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s new college sports podcast,Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Arch Manning Fared in Texas’s Overtime Win Over Kentucky.