Arch Manning threw four touchdowns, ran for one and caught another as Texas beat Arkansas 52-37 on Saturday to keep the Longhorns' hopes of making the College Football Playoff alive.
Ranked No. 1 in the preseason, the Longhorns (8-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 17 CFP) will have to beat third-ranked Texas A&M on Friday for a chance to prove they deserve to make the playoffs for a third straight season.
“I really think we're playing good football,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The best way to impress anyone is to go out and win next Friday night.”
Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, is becoming more impressive every week.
He is the first Texas quarterback to pass, run and receive touchdowns in a game. Manning rushed for a career-high 389 yards, and his big day showed how far he's come since the start of the season, when Texas struggled to a 3-2 start.
“You know, I think as a quarterback you have to go through tough games and struggles,” Manning said. “It’s not easy, but you try to overcome it… Going through this difficult experience helped me a lot.”
Manning connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for three touchdowns. Manning's touchdown on Parker Livingston's reverse pass was an athletic grab in which he had to turn his 6-foot-4 frame and reach high to make the play. Livingston also had a 54-yard touchdown reception.
“It was sunny outside and I lost my cool for a second,” Manning said of his TD catch. “He threw well [in practice]. He bailed me out a few times, so I had to bail him out.”
On his touchdown run early in the third quarter, Manning cut the ball twice to elude tacklers and then leaped over the goal line to give the Longhorns a 31-20 lead.
“Even before the game he feels different than he did two months ago,” Sarkisian said. “He's playing at a high level at the right time for us.”
Arkansas (2-9, 0-7) held the lead early and trailed just 24-20 at halftime after touchdown runs from quarterback Tylen Green and running back Mike Washington.
Green intercepted Arkansas' first possession of the second half. The turnover led to another Texas touchdown when Manning avoided a sack and found an open Moore in the back of the end zone.
