I am feeling very cheesy right about now. Might be getting hammered on Cheez-Its to ring in the new year after watching the Longhorns take down the Wolverines
once again in Orlando. It was a back and forth game for most of the contest, with both teams taking turns throwing punches, but it was the Longhorns who delivered haymakers down the home stretch that left Michigan unable to answer the ten count.
This game had its ups and downs for sure, but the ups definitely have Longhorn nation buzzing heading into 2026 after what they saw on the field in Orlando. We are bringing in the new year with all good vibes in this final edition of thoughts and observations. I wish there was more ball on the docket, but it isn’t to be. Lets close this year out in style.
Hope you didn’t sell your stock in Arch Manning
Number 16 in burnt orange and white might just be him and that is bad news for the rest of college football heading into 2026.
Manning had been on an upward trajectory performance wise over the back half of the season, but on Wednesday it felt like we finally got to see it all get put together as we got to see him one final time before heading into the offseason. Manning had a solid first half against the Wolverines, as he made plays with both his arm and legs, but it was down the home stretch in the ball game when he took over and put the game away.
After picking up a big first down with his legs, Manning dropped an absolute dime into true freshman Kaliq Lockett that put the Longhorns up for good.
Manning wasn’t quite done yet. The defense would turn over Bryce Underwood for the second time and Manning truly put the icing on the cake by splitting the Michigan defense and running away from everyone for SIXTY yards.
We’ve seen Arch make plays with his feet before, but the big run against Texas A&M and that 60-yarder against Michigan are in a completely different category and are the things that will keep defensive coordinators up a night. We have now seen him operate the offense at a high level, maintain his composure, and show toughness. If this isn’t what everyone was waiting to see from him when they were complaining about the hype he received coming into the year, then I don’t know what else to tell you.
Manning deservedly was the MVP of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, as he finished 22/34 for 221 yards passing with two touchdowns, and rushed for 155 yards and an additional two scores.
Manning ends his year with 3,163 passing yards with 26 passing touchdowns and 399 rushing yards with an additional ten touchdowns on the ground.
If you sold your stock early on Mr. Manning, then you are probably priced out from buying back in at this point. If you think the hype heading into 2025 was something, then get ready for the volume to go up about 100 decibels this offseason.
Ty’Anthony Smith is a DAWG
With Anthony Hill declaring for the NFL Draft and Liona Lefau hitting the transfer portal, Texas needed someone to step up at linebacker in this game. And that someone was sophomore linebacker Ty’ Anthony Smith.
Smith flashed last year as a freshman and also made some plays during his sophomore campaign, but he took a big step forward on Wednesday in showing that he is ready to be the man and fill a big a pair of shows that are being left by Hill.
This play to pick off Underwood reminded me of Jaylan Ford not too long ago when he had a knack for playing the passing lanes and getting his hands on the football. This play was the beginning of the end for Michigan in this game, as Arch would do who thing just seconds after this play concluded.
It was so nice that he had to do it twice! This one would have been good on Sundays. Smith having a coming out party in this spot is just what Texas needed from the position heading into the offseason. Those late recruiting cycle flips of Hill and Smith have paid dividends for the Texas defense since they have been on campus.
Christian Clark had himself a coming out party
Speaking of guys stepping up in a big spot. Christian Clark did that in a major way on the offensive side of the ball in Orlando. Texas lost its two most experienced backs in Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter to the transfer portal and greener pastures, so it was crucial that someone stepped up to pick up the slack in that game. Clark not only stepped up, but he put up the second best performance of a Texas running back this year.
We had seen Clark here and there throughout the season, but this was by far the best he has looked in burnt orange and white and played a critical role in giving Steve Sarkisian’s balance against the Wolverines in this matchup. Michigan had to respect the Texas running attack, whether it was Arch going off script or the ball getting put into the belly of Clark in traditional run looks. That was enough to keep Michigan defense off balance and have to account for more.
Clark finished the game with 105 yards on the ground on 20 carries and punched it in for a touchdown early in the contest. 5.3 yards a carry will work all day long in this profession and it earns Mr. Clark a nice hat tip and game ball for his coming out party.
The Texas offensive line kept Arch clean
Any time you put a goose egg in the sacks allowed column and help pave the way for 200+ rushing yards then you deserve a little shoutout. The Texas offensive line didn’t perform up to standard often this season, but in Orlando they kept the Michigan pass rush at bay and gave Arch time to scan the field throughout the contest.
They also paved the way for TWO 100-yard rushers in Clark and Manning and deserve their share of credit for keeping the offense from becoming one dimensional. This unit as a whole will have to be much better in a critical 2026 season, but overall I was pleased with how they fared in Orlando.
The defense was short handed, but still made some big plays down the stretch
One of the biggest storylines coming into the game was how many impact players for the Texas defense had opted out of the bowl game due to declaring for the NFL Draft. Texas was missing players at every level of the defense due to declarations, but the secondary in particular was short handed due to guys like Malik Muhammad and Michael Taaffe heading to the NFL.
That opened the door for guys like the previously mentioned Ty’Anthony Smith and Wardell Mack to step up with more snaps available.
It was previously reported that Mack was going to test his options in the transfer portal, so seeing him out there and making plays for Texas is encouraging to see and gives you hope that the Texas staff can convince him to stick around.
Mack has flashed when he has been given opportunities to get in the game and he most certainly will have an opportunity get starter snaps heading into 2026.
Even though the fumble was overturned, it was encouraging to see Zina Umeozulu flash here and make a big play for Texas. He’s another guy who will be looking at an expanded role within the defense heading into next year.
Was the Texas defense perfect in this game? Nope. Is there plenty of work to do heading into next year? yep. But it was good to see a lot of youngsters get valuable reps in this game, so they could get their feet wet. While it was only an exhibition game on paper, these live reps will pay dividends next year.
That was a fun and eventful way to close the book on the 2025 season. Even though Texas just missed the playoffs, they rallied down the home stretch in the season to show life and closed out the season with an emphatic win to get 10-3. If Texas wants to continue to be viewed like Texas, then 10 wins or more needs to be the expectation year in and out, so hitting that benchmark is both necessary and satisfying.
I know the things are wrapping up for 2025, but I am already pretty excited about the outlook heading into 2026. Arch Manning is going to be one of the most talked about players in the country heading into next year. Texas is going to be big buyers in the transfer portal. And the expectations will be right where they should be as Sarkisian and his staff prepare for a massive 2026 campaign in Austin.
As usual, I would like to thank all of my dear readers for following along this season and taking the time to read my ramblings and babblings following games. Without ya’ll, this would basically be a Dear Diary entry for me, so I am grateful and appreciative for all of you taking the time to read what I have to say on Longhorn football. Whether we agree, disagree, or meet somewhere in the middle I am thankful for each of you as we head into the new year.
As I sign off for 2025, I just want to leave you with this. Make sure you hug someone and tell them you love them and just know that it is not goodbye, but just a see you later until the fall. I look forward to linking up with my BON folks at the same time and place come Fall 2026. Take care of yourself and take care of each other.
Hook’Em!
