The 0-1 No. 7 Texas Longhorns are having a much-needed rebound today against San Jose State, but questions remain around quarterback Arch Manning following a woeful offensive day in Week 1 at Ohio State.
With fan and media noise at a fever pitch, Manning badly needed to put a nice game together today, and so far, he has delivered. With the game in hand at this point, he has passed for just shy of 300 yards, been far more efficient, and has found the endzone four times. A positive sign of life, even if against a bad opponent.
Are Bad Mechanics a Sign of an Underlying Arch Manning Injury?
Manning entered 2025 with large expectations, and according to FanDuel, he still sits fourth overall in Heisman Odds. His opening weekend performance was alarming and left many fans and pundits shocked. His 17-for-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception was not what the college football world was expecting, even against the defending national champions.
After reviewing the film, questions arose about bad mechanics and potential injuries. On several bad misses in the opener, Manning can be seen throwing from a variety of non-ideal arm angles and with overly active feet. At this point, we don’t know if this was a bad day at the office or a sign of bad things to come, but either way, the analysis came fast and furious this past week.
Arch Manning’s mechanics were alarming.
Ryan Wingo is wide open with room to run. Manning opens up his shoulders, throws sidearm and doesn’t step into his throw. This happened all game.
Texas’ play-calling was underwhelming but that wasn’t the problem.pic.twitter.com/uI3Ujzs4QE https://t.co/2cC1jifobN
— Brandon Koretz (@BrandonKoretz) August 30, 2025
These easy missed throws that should’ve been automatic are a cause for concern. While one bad performance is not enough of a reason for full-blown panic, follow-up, less-than-stellar performances will raise more concerns. Playing on the road in one of the harshest environments in the sport can rattle the most experienced quarterbacks, so being overwhelmed by the moment as a guy who entered with less than 100 career passing attempts would make sense.
Manning’s bounce-back performance has him with a stat line of 19-for-30 for 295 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Still, many fans are pointing out that this is against a Mountain West opponent. Currently, with around 6 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Texas leads the Spartans 38-7.
