AUSTIN, TX – We hyped him up. Of course we did.
Nothing fuels publicity bordering on hysteria quite like pedigree.
The seven letters stitched on the back of his uniform told us Arch Manning hailed from football’s most famous family, and we built him up to be the next great quarterback in the iconic line.
And when he faltered, he became the most criticized quarterback in college football.
Manning won’t cry uncle. He can take the heat. Hell, he likes eating the flames.
“I’ve been hyped up all my life. I think I kind of like being disregarded and counted out,” Manning said with a smile after No. 18 Texas toppled No. 7 Mississippi, 34-27.
Texas is wounded, but it’s not out of this nutty rat race we call college football.
a powerful pose. Texas saved season, in a dramatic way
Edgy Arch Manning pairs with Spicy Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian promised we’d see “edgy” Manning in this game and that Manning had retired the “Aw Shucks” iteration that came before this.
So, what of it? Was this win the dawn of “edgy” Arch?
“I was edgy? I don’t know what that means,” Manning said affably.
Undeniably, this was demonstrative Arch.
Arch is gone.
— Blake Toppmeyer (@btoppmeyer) October 25, 2026
Archibald is taking over. https://t.co/NtgV55CVGF
Manning crossed his arms to strike a dramatic pose after scoring on a read-option. As Texas built an imposing first-half lead, he strutted along the sideline as if auditioning for a role in the WWE. He emphatically signaled first down after a critical 19-yard scramble to move the chains on a scoring drive. He uncorked some beautiful deep shots. He scored the winning touchdown untouched on a naked bootleg that shared an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Peyton.
“I like the edgy, borderline arrogant, full-of-swagger Arch,” Sarkisian said. “I just feel like that’s when he’s at his best. He’s competing. … Our team feeds off of that energy.”
What would Sarkisian think if “edgy” Arch became the quarterback’s permanent persona?
“I’d love it,” Sarkisian said. “That would fire me up.”
No kidding.
Nobody could accuse Sarkisian of lacking swagger when he starred as Brigham Young’s quarterback in the ‘90s.
Sarkisian showed some edginess of his own after this victory. In one breath, he thanked Texas fans who filled the stadium beyond its listed capacity with an attendance of 104,306. In the next breath, he called out fans who sold their tickets after Texas suffered back-to-back losses.
"For those fans that sold their tickets, they missed a hell of a game tonight," Sarkisian said.
Edgy Arch, say hello to Spicy Sark!
Sarkisian uncorked a few verbal jabs at reporters in his postgame news conference. As one longtime Texas scribe who'd recently predicted Texas would finish 7-5 started to ask Sarkisian a question, the coach interrupted and fired back that "the season's not done!"
To be fair, Texas remains erratic enough that 7-5 remains in play. So does a playoff bid. It's all on the table.
When another veteran Texas reporter referenced the Longhorns and Sarkisian having their backs against the wall entering this game, the coach interjected.
“According to who? I didn’t say that," Sarkisian said.
According to, well, pretty much everyone.
"The moment we feel like we need to respond to the opinions of others, that’s a dangerous way to live life," Sarkisian said. "When people tell you you’re bad, you’re poor, you’re ugly, you’re fat, whatever you’re (not) supposed to be, and then you feel like you have to respond to them, you live life like a roller coaster. We just don’t do that around here."
"We stay like this," Sarkisian added, as he held his hand level and steady, palm facing down.
That's a powerful quote, but is it true?
This Texas season has, in fact, been a roller coaster and anything but even keel.
Texas blew a 14-point first-half lead in a loss to Florida. It squandered a 10-point halftime lead in a loss to Oklahoma.
And, the Longhorns' 21-point halftime lead in this game had disappeared entirely with 14 minutes to play.
In the pivotal fourth quarter, Texas showed more resolve than Ole Miss.
"We said all week, 'Whatever it takes,'" Manning said. "The last two weeks were tough, but we knew if we did whatever it takes, we'd come out with a win tonight."
Arch Manning finds his family after Texas beats Ole Miss
Considering the level of competition, Manning’s first half could be credibly ruled to be his best two quarters of ball in his college career.
He was, in a word, electric.
Of course, nothing can be so simple for Texas, or its quarterback.
Manning fired two interceptions, and Ole Miss turned a strip-sack of Manning into a touchdown to kickstart a second-half rally.
Raleek Brown’s running and the Texas defense supplying key stops had as much to do with this win as Manning’s performance.
This was “a team” win, Sarkisian emphasized, and nobody would dispute that. But, it felt significant that as the criticism of Manning reached a fever pitch after back-to-back losses, he responded with a virtuoso first half, before "bad Arch" made a cameo in the third quarter.
In sum, Manning outperformed Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss, and he scored the winning touchdown after the Rebels had rallied.
When this triumph that saved Texas’ season was finished, Manning found his family at the edge of the stands. This quarterback who says he keeps “a tight circle” leaned on his family when times got tough. And, he celebrated with them when times got better.
“It was a hard Sunday,” Manning said, referencing the day after Texas lost to Florida last weekend. “I went over to their place and damn near bawled and cried to them. Being able to see them after the game, after a win, felt good.”
Arch Manning shares a moment with his family post game after taking down Florida #Texas | #Hookem pic.twitter.com/4j0AnzshMh
— Anne-Parker (Coleman) Clifton (@anneparkercole1) October 25, 2026
Edgy is Sarkisian’s word for this iteration of Manning, and maybe it fits.
Manning puts it this way.
“Yeah, I had a chip on my shoulder all week,” he said. “I got to continue to play like that.”
The hype’s gone, or at least significantly diminished.
For a week, anyway, the criticism will die down, too.
Sarkisian's rooting for more edgy Arch.
Manning enjoys being disregarded Arch.
"There's something about proving people wrong," Manning said.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Listen to his podcast, "College Football Unfiltered." Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: We overhyped Arch Manning. Maybe we buried him too quickly, too
