Texas quarterback Arch Manning exited with an injury in overtime after helping to lead one of the most thrilling comebacks of the college football season thus far in the Longhorns’ 45-38 win at Mississippi State on Saturday.
Backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell threw the game-winning touchdown to Emmett Mosley V on a play that was originally called an incompletion but was then overturned upon review. Manning had gone down with an injury after the first play in overtime, when his head hit the ground while diving forward, and he stayed in the tent through the end of the game. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian did not have an update on Manning’s status after the game, telling reporters he would know more once the team returned to Austin.
Caldwell finds Mosley 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/UnhlZhb8Js
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 26, 2025
Before leaving, Manning completed 29 of 46 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and also rushed for a touchdown in what will go down as one of his gutsiest performances thus far.
“I thought Arch battled his tail off,” Sarkisian said. “I wish we played a little better around him at times. I wish we blocked a little better, maybe caught a couple more balls. But man, he’s a warrior. He battles, he competes, he takes hits, he gets back up. He stands in the midst of fire and continues to throw.
“And I think he grew up a lot tonight. … I think our team grew up tonight, I think Arch Manning grew up tonight.”
The Longhorns (6-2, 3-1 SEC) trailed by 17 points early in the fourth quarter and had gone into halftime looking like a team that again had no answers on offense after struggling to consistently find a rhythm for much of the season. Following a two-play, 63-yard scoring drive to open the game, Texas combined for just 67 yards on the next eight drives, with Manning also throwing his sixth interception of the season on a tipped ball.
But the redshirt sophomore went to work in the second half, unleashing several deep balls and showing off his poise and arm strength with the Longhorns playing from behind.
Manning connected with Parker Livingstone — one of his favorite targets — for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to start the comeback. He then found Mosley for a 21-yard score to put Texas within 10 on a deep ball in the left corner of the end zone.
16 ➡️ 3 pic.twitter.com/GexiO5MuW5
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 25, 2025
After Texas kicked a field goal, punt returner Ryan Niblett tied the score at 38 on an electrifying 79-yard return for a touchdown to set up overtime, where Texas won despite Manning exiting following his 13-yard scramble.
Y’all should know… don’t punt to @ryan_niblett 💨 pic.twitter.com/BMMGuLFZCI
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 25, 2025
“You need moments like this,” Sarkisian said of Manning. “He does everything the right way. I was talking to somebody earlier on our staff, he does everything the right way and people that do things the right way, sooner or later the tide turns for you.
“He just keeps working. And I think the work ethic showed itself there in the fourth quarter.”
Texas, which opened the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25, was a trendy pick to win the national title behind Manning. But the Longhorns dropped the season opener to Ohio State and had a disappointing loss to Florida earlier this month that only raised more questions for Sarkisian and his crew to answer.
Sarkisian and his players insisted after the Florida game that none of their goals were out of reach, and after Texas beat rival Oklahoma and escaped Kentucky in overtime last week, it again made sure it stayed alive in the SEC race with a dramatic win in Starkville — the 16th consecutive SEC loss for Mississippi State (4-4, 0-4 SEC).
Texas next hosts surging No. 10 Vanderbilt, then is off before visiting No. 5 Georgia. It finishes the regular season against Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M.
“I said this to the team — I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of guys. When (the Bulldogs) go up 17 in the fourth quarter, you guys … know how many teams wilt and the game’s over at that moment,” Sarkisian said.
“And these guys literally didn’t blink and that was one of the messages (Friday) to the team: our toughness was going to have to be the best that it’s ever been in our program (Saturday). This was our fourth straight week on the road. It’s taken its toll on coaches, players, staff members and it’s long, it’s a journey. And this conference is hard. And the toughness they displayed, not only the physical toughness but the mental toughness that was needed (Saturday), showed.”
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