Arch Manning stats today: What to know about the Texas QBs disappointing opening game

Morgan Moriarty

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Arch Manning stats today: What to know about the Texas QBs disappointing opening game image

No. 1 Texas opened their 2025 season on the road against No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes won 14-7 in a low-scoring affair. 

However, unquestionably the biggest storyline was Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s debut as the Longhorns full-time starter. The former five-star recruit from New Orleans didn’t get off to the smoothest start, throwing a costly interception in what turned out to be a mixed-bag performance.

Let's take a look at Manning's full stats and performance against Ohio State, and see what it could mean for him the rest of the season.  

What were Arch Manning's Stats against Ohio State?

Manning finished the game 17-for-30 for 170 yards with an interception and a touchdown. He added just 38 yards on 10 carries, as Ohio State did a good job shutting down his ground game. His first score of the season came with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter on a pass to receiver Parker Livingstone:

Texas did get the ball back with 2:30 left in the game and a chance to score a game-tying touchdown. Manning found his tight end Jack Endries with a 30-yard strike on second down, which gave the Longhorns a first down.

But on third-and-five, Manning threw a poor pass to Ryan Wingo, and the Longhorns were forced to try to convert on fourth down. Manning was nearly sacked on the play and managed to complete a pass to Endries, but he was tackled way short of the first down.

The play sealed the victory for the Buckeyes.

Manning's debut did have other down moments. He threw an interception on 2nd-and-12 trying to hit Wingo on the right sideline. The ball was both under-thrown and read perfectly by Buckeye cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr.: 

Manning also appeared to throw a second interception in the fourth quarter, but the call was overturned on review and ruled an incomplete pass. Replays showed the ball hitting the ground as the Ohio State defender tried to secure it.

Manning did have some positive moments though. He threw a beautiful dime in the fourth quarter and added this nice scramble in the third quarter as well: 

While it was a disappointing debut for Manning overall, Longhorns' head coach Steve Sarkisian indicated after the game that he was not worried about his quarterback performance. 

Why did Arch Manning struggle against Ohio State?

There were a few reasons for Manning's struggles, and it's important to keep in mind that this is just one game. 

One of the biggest reasons was that Ohio State's defense played great all day. Led by new Buckeye defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Ohio State held Texas' offense to just 336 total yards, including 5-for-14 on third down, and 1-for-5 on fourth down.

It's quite the impressive defensive coordinator debut from a longtime NFL coach, making his first collegiate game since 2003, when he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse. 

Another takeaway was that this game marked Manning's first as the unquestioned leader of the Longhorns. It came on the road in a season opener at the Horseshoe, with more than 100,000 fans in attendance. While Manning started two games last year, filling in for the injured Quinn Ewers, that was still very much Ewers’ team. This was the first time the offense was fully Manning’s -- with a playbook that was likely simplified for him, given the hostile setting. Most of his throws were relatively short, too. His longest passes of the day were for 32, 30, 28 and 15 and 14 yards -- all of his other passes were less than 10 yards on the day overall.

Lastly, Manning may have fallen victim to the media -- yes, including us -- slightly overhyping expectations. As one of the most highly touted recruits in recent memory, Manning's long-awaited debut was under intense scrutiny. Combine that with the hostile road environment, and it’s easy to understand why he had a shaky outing.

Sure, it's easy to write Manning off after just one game. But let's all take a collective deep breath and give him some grace. 

Who does Arch Manning play against next?

Manning should have a better outing next week, as the Longhorns will play at home against the San Jose State Spartans. The Spartans lost to Central Michigan 16-14 in Week 1, but held the Chippewas to just 115 yards through the air. As of Saturday afternoon, the Spartans rank 12th nationally in passing defense.  

We'll see if Manning continues to struggle next week.

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty joined The Sporting News as a content producer in the fall of 2024. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL and numerous other major sports for outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She also covers college football for Bleacher Report, and is a featured guest on various CNN programs.