Arch Manning then and now: Mid-season improvement gives No. 10 Texas hope

During Texas' current four-game win streak, Manning is 87-of-133 (65.4 percent) for 972 yards (243 yards per game), eight total touchdowns and one interception. His improvement is evident on film. Manning jumpstarted a thrilling comeback victory at Mississippi State with a 62-yard completion to wide receiver Ryan Wingo one minute into the fourth quarter while down 31-14.

The Bulldogs showed pressure with seven players at the line of scrimmage on the 3rd-and-10 play. They rushed five, including one off the right edge, but Manning calmly moved to his left, kept his eyes downfield and found Wingo with an on-target throw that traveled roughly 54 air yards.

Manning was even better in his most recent game, a 34-31 win over No. 14 Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 in SEC), finishing 25-of-33 for 328 yards and three touchdowns. Arguably, no sequence better illustrates the positive strides he's made in recent weeks than Texas' first drive of the third quarter. Manning attacked the entire field on the touchdown series, sparking the possession with an 18-yard completion over the middle of the field on a 3rd-and-4.

Two players later, Manning had a 10-yard completion throwing from the left hash toward the right sideline. On the next play, he went the other way, throwing to the left numbers and picking up another 29 yards. Manning ended the drive ripping a six-yard completion to wideout Emmett Mosley V in the back of the end zone.

Manning recently climbed six spots in ESPN college football analyst Bill Connelly's ranking of FBS starting quarterbacks, from No. 41 on Oct. 1 to No. 35. While noting problems that remain ("He still holds on to the ball too long...," "His footwork on downfield passes still betrays him"), Connelly added that "a great November would erase a lot of early-season stigma."

In addition to this weekend's showdown against Georgia, the Longhorns play No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 in SEC) in the regular-season finale. With wins in both, Texas would secure a playoff bid (as long as it doesn't lose to Arkansas in Week 13), and Manning's difficult start to the year would be a distant memory. Considering how he's played in recent weeks, that isn't as far-fetched as it once seemed.