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The No. 19 Texas Longhorns have lost two straight games after falling 27-24 to the No. 20 Florida Gators in Week 7. It was another questionable performance from Arch Manning, as the offense just can’t seem to get anything rolling this year. After reports claimed that backup quarterback KJ Lacey Jr. was going to receive more QB1 reps with the offense struggling, Manning weighed in on his approach for the rest of the campaign.
The redshirt junior informed media members that his mindset moving forward is to play more loosely when in the pocket, according to Evan Vieth of Inside Texas. Manning has appeared to be hesitant at times, but now he seems ready to change his approach entirely.
“I’m going to die on the hill of, I’m letting it rip,” Manning said.
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Perhaps that change in mindset is what helps the 22-year-old bounce back in the second half of the 2026-27 season. Through six games played so far this year, Manning has only thrown for 1,295 passing yards and 11 touchdowns with a 63.9% completion percentage. But he’s also thrown five interceptions and is running with much less consistency.
While reports have claimed that Lacey is going to get more QB1 reps in practice throughout the week leading up to Texas’ Week 8 clash against the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels, head coach Steve Sarkisian has also claimed the starting job still belongs to Arch Manning. But after another putrid outing from the offense, it’s clear something needs to change for the Longhorns.
The program currently has two ranked opponents remaining on the regular season schedule outside of Ole Miss (No. 22 Missouri Tigers and No. 18 LSU Tigers). With six games left before conference championships and the College Football Playoff, now is the time for Manning and the Longhorns to right the ship.
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