As he has been throughout his college football career, Texas quarterback Arch Manning was a mixed bag on Saturday. But Manning and Texas came out on top.
After throwing three interceptions and seeing his team fall behind LSU 21-10, Manning turned it on late, culminating in a 12-play, 58-yard drive that saw Manning throw the game-winning touchdown pass with three seconds remaining as Texas won 22-21.
“That’s what college football is all about,” Manning said after the game.
Manning’s numbers were not impressive: 19-of-35 for 174 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions and four sacks, plus 35 yards and a touchdown running. But when Texas needed him to march the offense down the field at the end of the game, he did it. His touchdown pass to Raleek Brown was a perfectly placed ball, and he also ran for two first downs on the game-winning drive.
For No. 6 Texas, the win means they’ll almost certainly be in the College Football Playoff, as they’ll be heavy favorites the next two weeks against Arkansas and Texas A&M. For LSU, the loss knocks first-year coach Lane Kiffin out of playoff contention.
Manning, the scion of the first family of quarterbacks, will have an opportunity do what neither his grandfather Archie nor his uncles Peyton and Eli ever did: Win a national championship.