On Saturday, the Texas football program improved to 6-2 on the 2026 college football season with a blowout home win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It was the second straight strong game for quarterback Arch Manning, who has bounced back after murmurs of a benching came following the team's loss to Florida two weeks ago.

Up next for the Longhorns is a tough road game against the Missouri Tigers, and recently, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke about his quarterback heading into that matchup.

“Honestly, I've never felt better about Arch Manning than I do this week. This guy is ready,” he said, per Tyler Horka of Inside Texas on X, formerly Twitter.

He also described Manning's performance against Mississippi State over the weekend as “really gritty.”

Manning has shown impressive resolve over the last two weeks in the face of immense adversity following the Longhorns' embarrassing home loss to Texas. First, Manning put together a strong performance during last week's win over the Ole Miss Rebels, and he came together down the stretch to help Texas pull away against the Bulldogs over the weekend.

Article Continues Below

Playing the 19th-ranked Tigers on the road will certainly be a formidable test for Manning and the Longhorns, as Missouri boasts a strong pass defense that figures to take away any easy options down the field.

At this point, Texas is in must-win territory every week in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, and this is one of the last real tests they will face this season. Sarkisian sure seems confident that Manning will be up for the challenge.