Arch Manning Is Silencing The Doubters, And Texas Is Reaping The Rewards

History has a tendency to repeat itself, and Texas fans are witnessing it firsthand with the play of quarterback Arch Manning. It was just a season ago when Manning was tumbling down projected draft boards following disappointing early-season showings against Ohio State and Florida. The Longhorns fell to 3-2 and head coach Steve Sarkisian was making public statements in defense of his quarterback. The questions surrounding Manning were growing louder, and his NFL Draft stock was taking a hit. Then, in a Week 8 game against Kentucky, everything changed. Manning’s season began to take off as he settled into a rhythm and showcased his confidence and command of the offense. He finished his junior year with wins over in-state rival Texas A&M and Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, restoring confidence in his ability to lead the Longhorns to a future national championship. Fast-forward to this season, and the familiar narrative is unfolding again. Arch Is Silencing The Doubters … Again Following back-to-back losses last month to Oklahoma and, ironically, Florida, concerns about Manning’s ability to live up to his name came back to the forefront. After the Longhorns’ 27-24 loss to Florida, Sarkisian said “everything is going to be evaluated.” When asked about a potential quarterback change, Sarkisian doubled down: “Everything means everything.” Then came a report that backup quarterback KJ Lacey would receive more first-team reps during practice the following week. Sitting at 4-2, with their College Football Playoff hopes already in jeopardy, Manning gutted out a tough win over then-No. 10 Ole Miss, breathing life into what was starting to look like a lost season for Texas. Now, the Longhorns have won three straight, and Manning has accounted for nine touchdowns during that stretch. The improvement has been noticeable. Manning is getting through his progressions more quickly, with an average time to throw of 2.76 seconds over the last three games — nearly a half-second faster than earlier in the season. That has been a big development. His footwork also looks cleaner and more efficient. Check out this beauty: Or how about this one: After throwing for more than 200 yards just three times in his first six games this season, Manning has now eclipsed that mark in three consecutive weeks. In a world that often lacks patience, we tend to forget that this was an offense replacing five starters from a year ago, with a recruiting class that included more transfer portal additions than any other during Sarkisian’s tenure. This offense was always going to take time to come together, and unfortunately, Manning has borne the brunt of the blame. That isn’t to deflect from Manning’s inconsistencies. There’s no doubt he’s forced some throws and appeared lost at times while waiting for receivers to separate downfield. The offensive line has been inconsistent and struggled to protect him. The run game has also dealt with injuries and is averaging one fewer first down per game, which brings up another point: Manning is running less. Maybe that’s a conscious effort to become more comfortable playing from the pocket, but he’s averaging 20 fewer rushing yards per game than he did a year ago. And remember, this was a Texas offense that featured a special package specifically designed to take advantage of Manning’s athleticism during the Quinn Ewers era in 2024. Having played quarterback, I know the spotlight is always on you. When things are going well, everyone wants to talk about you. When things aren’t going well, everyone wants to talk about you even more. Manning understands that, and given the name on the back of his jersey, he’s prepared to handle it. After slow starts in back-to-back seasons, he’s been able to block out the noise and rebound, giving his team a shot at the CFP. This week will be Manning’s toughest test for the remainder of the regular season: a night game against No. 14 LSU in Death Valley. The outcome will go a long way toward determining the Longhorns’ playoff hopes and shaping the narrative surrounding their quarterback. Based on how Manning has responded, I wouldn’t bet against him. One Name To Know … If you’re looking for the underdog story of this college football season, we’ve got one. The UCLA Bruins are one of just two remaining undefeated FBS teams, led by a quarterback who began the year third on the depth chart. Ty Dieffenbach is a former three-star recruit out of Agoura Hills, California, who began his career at University of Pittsburgh. During the two years he was there, he didn’t see the field and was even asked to move to tight end, which prompted his desire to transfer. Dieffenbach found a home at Cal Poly, where he earned a starting role. However, injuries, inconsistent play and a poor season saw the Mustangs finish 4-8 and led to Dieffenbach looking for a new home. He had a strong belief he could play for a major college football program, and the arrival of head coach Bob Chesney at UCLA provided the chance. Fresh off his CFP run with James Madison, Chesney was billed as the second coming of Curt Cignetti. Following training camp, Dieffenbach moved up to second string. There were even some murmurs that the coaching staff thought he threw the best ball on the roster. Dieffenbach’s first snap at the FBS level would come in the second half of one of UCLA’s biggest games of the season. Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava suffered a leg injury in the second half against Oregon, which prompted Dieffenbach to enter the game. He was only asked to throw six times but led a drive in the fourth quarter that created enough cushion to allow the Bruins to pull off the upset. Let the Cinderella season begin. Since that upset, UCLA has continued to rip off wins with a formula that will look familiar to many in Bloomington: a dominant rushing attack, which ranks No, 1 in the Big Ten, combined with a suffocating defense, allowing just 14 points per game. Dieffenbach has managed the offense well and continued to gain confidence each week. He throws a beautiful ball and excels at layering passes against zone coverage. For a 6-foot-6 signal-caller, Dieffenbach has a compact motion and stride with plenty of arm strength.  Not to be confused with a dual-threat QB, but he’s a very capable runner and evades pressure to create out of the pocket. It’s impressive to watch his movement in the pocket and the feel he has navigating the pocket under duress. Take a look at this touchdown pass from Dieffenbach in the Bruins’ win over Minnesota: Inexperienced quarterbacks have a tendency to bring their eyes down when they have to move off the spot in the pocket. Dieffenbach moves and resets while still maintaining vision downfield to take a shot, then throws a beautiful ball to UCLA wide receiver Aidan Mizell in stride for the touchdown. I’ve been hesitant to write about Dieffenbach until he was able to get over some of those “firsts.” First start. First start on the road. First chance for defensive coordinators to see a few games and game plan against him. Well, here we are. The Bruins currently sit at 9-0 and continue to improve and make believers out of me and many others in the college football world. Now if we could just get some of their fans to show up to their games. What I’m Watching … Speaking of firsts – “Big Noon Kickoff” is headed to Tucson this week for the Wildcats’ Big 12 battle with the only other remaining undefeated team in the nation, Utah. This is essentially a Big 12 championship elimination game for Arizona, a program that has no room for error. This matchup also features two offenses with quarterbacks that exude different styles of play and took different paths to stardom. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Utah QB Devon Dampier, who will be returning to his home state where he played high school football. He began his career at New Mexico, appearing in nine games as a freshman and making one start. He would eventually take over the following year as the full-time starter, becoming the first QB in program history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck – yes, the one that just got fired at Michigan – was courted to Utah and Dampier followed. He didn’t quite eclipse 1,000 yards in his first season with the Utes, but he improved dramatically as a passer, earning Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Despite Beck moving on to Michigan with former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, Dampier stayed put and now has the Utes sitting at 9-0 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. On the other side is Arizona QB Noah Fifita, who leads one of the most prolific passing attacks in college football. Fifita began his career at Arizona and has never left, despite coaching changes and easy access to greener pastures via the transfer portal. Fifita broke out in 2023 and has continued to build with the arrival of Arizona head coach Brent Brennan in 2024. He’s a throwback in every sense of the word. Fifita will occasionally take off and run, but he’s more focused on keeping his eyes downfield in the passing game. Given his small stature – he’s listed at 5-foot-11, but I’ll bet a ham sandwich he doesn’t measure that at the NFL Combine – it’s impressive to watch him find throwing windows from the pocket and maintaining his vision downfield. Fifita will eclipse 12,000 passing yards in his career in this game, which will make him the 50th player to do so in college football history. This should be a fun one in the desert!