Texas was seconds away from defeat against LSU, and Arch Manning was going to be the goat after throwing three interceptions in the game. But the Texas football quarterback pulled off some last-second heroics, throwing the game-winning touchdown to edge out the Tigers, 22-21.
During his postgame press conference, Manning wore a sweatshirt that perfectly encapsulated his game against LSU: “Whatever it takes.”
Manning started the game out well enough, as he scored the opening touchdown of the game with his legs (and got drenched with a drink in the process). However, he got pretty shaky after that. He threw an interception in each of the last three quarters to match his LSU counterpart Sam Leavitt.
The fourth quarter was looking particularly bleak for Manning and the Longhorns. Down five with 11 minutes left, Manning threw a pick and went three-and-out in back-to-back drives. Luckily for him, LSU's offense went full conservative, run-out-the-clock mode for the entire quarter, punting on all four of their possessions. That gave Manning the chance to put together one winning drive, and he delivered when it mattered most.
With a final line of 19 of 35 for 174 yards, one passing and one rushing touchdown, and three interceptions, it clearly wasn't Manning's best game. His stats haven't exactly been impressive for his entire college career, either. But as he showed at LSU, he just has a knack for coming through in important situations, even when he's not playing all that well.
His overall level of play against LSU is unlikely to lead Texas to a national championship. But with the right matchup, he at least has the potential to make things interesting in the College Football Playoff, should Texas ultimately make it again.