Former NFL QB says Arch Manning just made the leap Texas has been waiting for all season
Matt Simms breaks down Arch Manning’s historic Arkansas performance, highlighting his growth, composure and why Texas may have finally found its turning point.
Arch Manning’s performance against Arkansas on Saturday was proof that the sophomore QB has truly arrived. Texas’ 52–37 win over the Razorbacks provided a stat line that everyone will remember. Manning scored six total touchdowns, throwing for a career-high 389 passing yards on 18-of-30 attempts, and became the first Texas quarterback ever to throw, run, and catch a touchdown in the same game.
But to former NFL quarterback Matt Simms, who dissected the performance on his whiteboard breakdown, the real story wasn’t what showed up in the box score. It was what the film revealed about Manning’s evolution from a quarterback learning on the fly to one who’s finally starting to control games the way his last name always suggested he would.
Simms sees growth the stat sheet cannot show
On ESPN College Football, Simms broke down the game tape, highlighting what he sees as classic Steve Sarkisian strategy: fake receiver screen, shot concept tagged over the top, stressing the defense vertically and horizontally.
“At the snap, they are going to fake this receiver screen. . . we are basically attacking the defense right in this lane right here,” Simms explained as he circled the hole shot Texas wanted.
Arkansas sent pressure. Five Razorbacks crashing the pocket. The kind of look that flustered Manning earlier in the year when Texas was still trying to figure out who it was offensively.
“We did not see this type of composure and pocket movement and strength earlier in the season,” Simms said. “This is where we are seeing the growth and maturity of just going through those tough times early.”
For Simms, that’s the real story. Not just that Manning hit DeAndre Moore Jr. deep after the tight end fell and the safety overplayed the original route, but that he was able to reset in chaos. Climbed. Shed contact. Recalibrated mid-play and found the throw the defense accidentally created.
“He moves up, sheds that tackle off, and then is able to find DeAndre Moore deep down the field after that safety overplays it,” Simms said, calling it a “fantastic throw. . . to start the football game.”
From “learning on the fly” to full-field quarterback
Next, Simms showed an NFL concept that Kyle Shanahan and Steve Sarkisian used with Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Full-field progression. High-low to one side. Double post to the field. Exactly the kind of read that tests whether a young quarterback can get past his first option and play elite football.
“This is like an old school concept that you are going to see on Sunday all the time,” Simms said. “Basically all it is just a full field progression.”
At first, Arkansas has the boundary covered. The initial side of the play is taken away. Earlier this season, Manning might have forced something there. Instead, he reset.
“Great job covering the boundary here. There is nowhere to go,” Simms said. “Arch quick reset. . . decides it is a three-man rush. Let me just go into baller mode.”
Completing that kind of pass requires controlled aggression. Manning recognizes the light rush, creates space, and turns the play into a second-reaction drill.
“He gets the Arkansas defensive front all out of whack,” Simms said. “The athleticism and then a good strong throw to the back of the end zone.”
Simms even pointed to what the next step in Manning’s evolution will look like.
“This is how it is going to be for him and Sark,” he said. “He is going to go one to two, not there, I do not like it, and he eventually is going to rip this post for a touchdown. But we are still seeing signs of growth.”
The 2025 season forced Arch to grow up fast
Texas did not cruise into this game. The Longhorns were preseason No. 1 and stumbled to 8–3, 5–2 in the SEC. Manning’s own season has mirrored that uneven arc. Through eleven games, he has thrown for 2,763 yards with 23 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, a solid line that has come with rough stretches, protection issues, and an inconsistent run game that has often left him carrying the offense on obvious passing downs.
Simms acknowledged that the Razorbacks’ defense has been a mess all year, but he also made it clear that Manning did an excellent job taking advantage when the game tilted in his favor.
“This is where the confidence of his athleticism and just the awareness of the situation really showed,” he said as Manning escaped, extended, and found open receivers all Saturday.
Sarkisian’s system puts a ton on the quarterback’s plate. Progressions. RPO tags. Play-action shots. Protection checks. You cannot fake your way through that for an entire season. At some point, the quarterback has to own it.
Against Arkansas, Simms saw a version of Arch Manning that finally looked comfortable doing exactly that.
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