Arch Manning's meltdown helps Oklahoma knock off No. 1 Texas

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arch Manning's meltdown helps Oklahoma knock off No. 1 Texas

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Oct 11, 2026 9:01 AM ET

The Red River Rivalry lived up to the hype on Saturday as Oklahoma knocked off No. 1 Texas, 27-24, thanks to a walk-off 47-yard field goal from Tate Sandell as time expired.

While Sandell will get the glory for making the kick, and while there were a couple of huge throws from John Mateer to Isaiah Sategna to set up the field goal, the biggest story from the fourth quarter is going to be the absolute crunch-time meltdown from Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Arch Manning's fourth-quarter meltdown was a big difference for Texas, Oklahoma

Manning did some good things on Saturday, throwing three touchdowns and averaging over eight yards per pass. He had his team in several positions where it could have possibly won and maintained its spot on top of the rankings.

But he made two absolutely crushing throws in the fourth quarter that swung the game away from Texas.

The first was a pick-six early in the quarter that gave Oklahoma a 24-17 lead.

ARCH THROWS A PICK-SIX AND THE SOONERS TAKE THE LEAD‼️

Watch now on ABC and the ESPN App pic.twitter.com/qUFgT2Kr0W
— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2026

While Manning and Texas were able to respond with a touchdown drive of their own, and then had the ball back in the final minutes with a chance to win the game with a walk-off of their own, that only set the stage for Manning's second blunder.

ARCH MANNING THROWS A COSTLY INTERCEPTION WITH 20 SECONDS LEFT!! pic.twitter.com/Hq9o38IUzf
— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2026

Those are mistakes you simply can not make in those situations, in that sort of game. Especially when you are supposed to be a future NFL quarterback and a hopeful top pick in the next NFL Draft class.

Manning has his moments, and he is a perfectly fine college quarterback. But there are still too many flaws and bad plays that need to be ironed out before he starts justifying the hype that has consistently followed him around.

The perception is a top quarterback prospect that is destined for NFL stardom. The reality is a pretty good college quarterback with a famous last name.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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