Arch Manning Leads Texas Easily Past Texas State

Arch Manning, coming off what some would call a disappointing year, has started strong as Texas beat Texas State 59-7 in their season opener.

Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Last season, in their home opener, Manning threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, along with an interception. Granted, they were playing Ohio State rather than Texas State, but Manning’s following weeks against more comparable teams still fell well below expectations.

Getting off to this start was key, as he did gain some momentum at the end of last year and the hope was that it would carry into this year.

Manning enters this year as a top Heisman candidate, same as last year. He is one of the top high school prospects in the sport’s history.

As for the rest of the Longhorns’ strong performance, Raleek Brown, who just transferred in from Arizona State, scored two rushing touchdowns in his Texas debut.

The Auburn transfer, Cam Coleman, caught two touchdowns on three receptions from Manning in his Longhorn debut.

Other scorers included James Simon, Ryan Wingo and Hollywood Smothers.

Texas also had the advantage of rotating a lot of their roster in and out after an early 28-0 lead essentially ended the game. Eleven players caught a pass for the Longhorns in the win.

Texas rematches the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, next week and will look to avenge last year’s loss in the season opener, which was a game-of-the-year candidate. Manning’s struggles in that match played a big role in the loss, so he will also look to improve against what is regarded as a top defense in the country.