Longhorns Country

How Much Will Texas Utilize Arch Manning vs. Clemson?

One host from the iconic ESPN pregame show said he wants to see redshirt freshman backup quarterback Arch Manning during crucial scoring opportunities.

Emma Hutchinson

The ESPN College GameDay show before the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.
The ESPN College GameDay show before the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The time for the Texas Longhorns to begin their run to the national championship has finally come, and this afternoon, they will take on the Clemson Tigers at home in Austin for the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The Longhorns have had two full weeks to prepare for the matchup, taking time to refresh mentally and physically while cleaning up some areas that cost them big time in their loss to Georgia at the SEC Championship.

And according to ESPN analyst Desmond Howard, Texas has a secret weapon on its roster that needs to be utilized against the Tigers to avoid making the same mistakes.

"Watching Texas against Georgia, Texas moved the ball up and down the field against the Bulldogs, but [would] get in the red zone and have dropped passes, missed assignments, or some penalties. I think if they're able to clean it up, they have a great chance at beating Clemson, but I expect to see Arch Manning," Howard said during ESPN's 'College GameDay' pregame show on Friday.

A heavy emphasis of concern that plagued the Longhorns against the Bulldogs was the offense's ability to convert drives into touchdowns in the red zone and on third downs, both in the passing and rushing games. Texas was only able to convert one out of two red zone trips throughout the entire game, and it wasn't even a touchdown, but a field goal. Similarly, the team ended the night with a 33.3% third-down conversion percentage. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers only had one complete pass for a touchdown, while Manning was nowhere to be found.

"When you have extra time like this to prepare for an opponent, I think you have to throw some sort of wrinkle into where you're weak, and that's one of their weaknesses," Howard said. "I think Arch Manning is a guy they can use in the red zone because they really struggled to run the ball down there."

Prior to Texas' matchup against Georgia, Manning had his time to shine against the Texas A&M Aggies, securing the Longhorns' first touchdown with a 15-yard rush into the end zone on a 4th-and-2. While that was his only score of the night, he was put in a position to attempt to convert in the red zone throughout the game.

The redshirt freshman has already rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns while also passing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns across eight games he's appeared in this season. His performance as a backup has even kickstarted his 2025 Heisman Trophy campaign for when he expectedly takes over for Ewers next season.

Howard's College GameDay co-host Kirk Herbstreit agreed that despite this year being led by Ewers, capitalizing on Manning's dual-threat abilities might be a key to success against Clemson. However, he also reiterated that the excitement surrounding the young quarterback shouldn't drown out the fact that Ewers will be the starter when the Longhorns and Tigers kickoff at 3 p.m. CT.

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Emma Hutchinson
EMMA HUTCHINSON

Emma Hutchinson is a senior journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin, covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation since June of 2024. Her previous sports journalism experience includes writing and editing for The Daily Texan, where she covered Texas athletic programs such as softball, women’s basketball, football, and baseball. Originally from Washington, D.C., Emma now resides in the Dallas metroplex. She enjoys rooting for the Mavericks, Rangers, and Stars, as well as supporting the Nationals and Commanders.

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