Arch Manning is on the scoreboard.
The redshirt freshman quarterback caught his first collegiate touchdown pass and added another touchdown on the ground in Texas' 52-0 thumping of Colorado State on Saturday.
Manning, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, got his chance to shine in the third quarter as starter Quinn Ewers built a commanding 38-0 lead into the third quarter.
Texas began the drive at Colorado's 49-yard line before Manning took the snap from the shotgun, faked a handoff and passed the ball over his sticks to Jontay Cook II, who ran 40 yards to pick up the ball.
Two plays later, on third down and goal, Manning saw his receiver was tightly covered and jumped out of the pocket and ran toward the line of scrimmage.
But instead of continuing to run, he made a shovel pass to a free forward near the sideline, Cyrus Bolden, who sprinted toward the end zone and dove over the goal line for the score.
But Manning's exploits didn't end there. In the fourth quarter, he led 11 well-planned scoring drives, culminating in a quarterback keeper from the 1-yard line for the Longhorns' final touchdown of the day.
It was a big day for the 19-year-old, who finished the game completing 5 of 6 passes for 95 yards.
Prior to the 2024 season, there were rumors that Manning might be transferred after Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers decided to stay in Texas for another year.
But in July, Manning reiterated his intention to stay in Austin long-term.
“It's tough because I want to play with my boys,” Manning said during media availability for this year's Manning Pass Academy. The Athletic reported.
“but [it came down to] “I realized there's no other place I want to go. My dream was to play at Texas,” Manning said. “I'm going to work my way to the end and eventually I'm going to play there.”
Texas will face a big test in Week 2 when they take on reigning national champion Michigan next Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
