In a marquee matchup between two top-five teams, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns faced the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in Austin.
What was expected to be a closely contested game turned into a frustrating night for the Longhorns, whose offense sputtered in a 30-15 loss despite some key defensive plays.
Texas’ defense showed signs of life early, intercepting Georgia quarterback Carson Beck twice in the first half.
However, the Longhorns‘ offense couldn’t capitalize on these turnovers, gaining only 38 yards in the first half and committing three turnovers of their own.
Heading into halftime, Texas found itself trailing 23-0, struggling to establish any offensive momentum.
Arch Manning’s debut fails to spark Texas offense
Despite standing firm earlier in the week on keeping Quinn Ewers as the starting quarterback, head coach Steve Sarkisian made a surprising move late in the first half.
With the Longhorns down 20-0 and just over four minutes remaining, Sarkisian called on freshman quarterback Arch Manning, igniting excitement from fans who had been chanting for his appearance.
Manning‘s brief time on the field, however, did little to shift the momentum. His first drive ended with a three-and-out, and his second saw him strip-sacked, leading to a turnover.
Sarkisian opted to return to Ewers in the second half, and while Ewers led a few successful drives, it wasn’t enough to close the gap, and Texas ultimately fell short.
Following the game, Sarkisian reiterated that Ewers remains the team’s starter, despite the clamor for Manning to take his place on a long-term basis. 
“Quinn‘s our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian declared. “Arch provided a spark, but Quinn is still our guy.”
The loss revealed deeper issues beyond the quarterback position. Texas struggled across the board offensively, with poor protection from the offensive line, a lackluster run game, and inconsistent play from Ewers.
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