Texas has dominated the Red River Rivalry in recent years, winning three of the last four contests leading up to last weekend, all by double digits.
And with the Longhorns entering undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country, fans expected much of the same. Instead, Oklahoma left the Cotton Bowl with a 27-24 victory, and questions again have come up about Arch Manning.
Monday morning, Joel Klatt made a bold claim that Texas was better with Quinn Ewers, now in the NFL, than they are now with Manning.
"They were better on offense with Quinn Ewers. Arch [is] just playing okay," Klatt said. "There are some things that are worrisome. He doesn't process information all that quickly. His eyes tend to be in the wrong spot at times ... There are some brilliant throws, so you see the ceiling of Arch. But then the floor is really low, and because of that, their entire offense their floor becomes very, very low ... They have been sloppy and ineffective on the offensive side, and that continues to hamper them.
"They were better on offense with Quinn Ewers because Quinn was a fast processor, he had very quick feet, he had a very quick release, and so what they could utilize more was the RPO. It helped them in the run game, and it helped them in the pass game," Klatt added. "It's never materialized for Arch. So you get the home run balls, and everything else is just late, inconsistent. The variance is kind of killing them."
More news: Alarming Lane Kiffin Stat Emerges After LSU’s Upset Loss to Kentucky
Manning's 2026 season has been a mixed bag and not what fans were hoping to see out of a player viewed as one of the lottery picks in next year's NFL draft. Saturday's loss to Oklahoma was the worst yet, though.
Manning went 19 of 31 for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two costly interceptions. With Texas leading 17-17 in the fourth quarter after the Sooners' go-ahead score was erased, Manning scrambled away from pressure and forced a deep ball that was picked off and returned 42 yards for a touchdown, the first pick-six of his career.
Then, with 19 seconds left, and the Longhorns trying to get into field goal range to win the game, he forced a throw toward the sideline under pressure, that was again intercepted. Oklahoma then kicked a 47-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
More news: 2026 College Football Playoff Team Joins New Conference
...
More news: Michigan Names Starting QB vs Penn State Amid Calls to Bench Bryce Underwood
Through five games, Manning has completed just 63% of his passes for 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns with five interceptions, and hasn't been nearly as effective in the run game with a mere 102 rushing yards and zero rushing scores.
Texas has now dropped to No. 7 in the AP poll, and their upcoming schedule is brutal, with a home stretch of games against Florida, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, before having to go to Missouri and LSU.