History has a tendency to repeat itself, and Texas fans are witnessing it firsthand with the play of quarterback Arch Manning.
It was just a season ago that Manning was crashing down the draft boards after disappointing early season performances against Ohio State and Florida. The Longhorns fell to 3-2 and coach Steve Sarkisian was making public statements in defense of his quarterback. The questions about Manning were getting louder and louder, and his NFL Draft stock was taking a hit.
Then, after a Week 8 game against Kentucky, everything changed.
Manning’s season began to take off as he settled into a rhythm and displayed his confidence and command of the offense. He finished his junior year with wins over in-state rival Texas A&M and Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, restoring confidence in his ability to lead the Longhorns to a future national championship.
Fast forward to this season, and the familiar narrative is unfolding again.
Arch Is Silencing Doubters … Again
Texas quarterback Arch Manning has nine touchdowns over the past three games. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
After back-to-back losses last month at Oklahoma and, ironically, Florida, concerns about Manning’s ability to live up to his name came back to the fore.
After the Longhorns’ 27-24 loss to Florida, Sarkisian said “everything will be evaluated.” When asked about a potential quarterback change, Sarkisian doubled down: “Everything means everything.” Then came a report that Backup quarterback KJ Lacey would get more first-team reps during training next week.
Sitting at 4-2, with their College Football Playoff hopes already in jeopardy, Manning pulled off a hard-fought win over the then. 10 Ole Miss, breathing life into what was beginning to look like a lost season for Texas.
Now, the Longhorns have won three straight, and Manning has accounted for nine touchdowns during that stretch. The improvement has been noticeable.
Manning is going through his progressions more quickly, with an average time to throw of 2.76 seconds over the last three games — nearly half a second faster than at the start of the season. This has been a great development. His footwork also looks cleaner and more efficient.
Check out this beauty:
Or how about this:
After throwing for more than 200 yards just three times in his first six games this season, Manning has now eclipsed that mark in three straight weeks.
In a world that often lacks patience, we tend to forget that this was an offense that replaced five starters from a year ago, with a recruiting class that included more transfer portal additions than any during Sarkisian’s tenure. This offense was always going to take time to come together, and unfortunately, Manning has shouldered most of the blame.
That’s not to shy away from Manning’s inconsistencies. There’s no question he’s forced some throws and looked lost at times while waiting for receivers to split down the field. The offensive line has been inconsistent and struggled to protect him. The running game has also been dealt with injuries and is averaging one less down per game, which brings up another point: Manning is running less.
Maybe it’s a conscious effort to get more comfortable playing from the pocket, but he’s averaging 20 fewer yards rushing per game than he did a year ago. And remember, this was a Texas offense that featured a special package designed specifically to take advantage of Manning’s athleticism during the Quinn Ewers era in 2024.
Texas QB Arch Manning has two rushing touchdowns in nine games this season. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Playing quarterback, I know the spotlight is always on you. When things go well, everyone wants to talk about you. When things don’t go well, everyone wants to talk about you even more. Manning understands that, and given the name on the back of his jersey, he’s prepared to address it.
After slow starts in back-to-back seasons, he has been able to block the buzzer and rebound, giving his team a shot at the CFP.
This week will be Manning’s toughest test of the remainder of the regular season: a night game against No. 14 LSU at Death Valley. The outcome will go a long way toward determining the Longhorns’ playoff hopes and shaping the narrative surrounding their quarterback.
Based on how Manning has responded, I wouldn’t bet against him.
A name to know…
UCLA QB Ty Dieffenbach has thrown for 986 yards and six touchdowns this season. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images)
If you’re looking for the underdog story of this college football season, we’ve got one.
The UCLA Bruins are one of only two remaining undefeated FBS teams led by a quarterback who entered his third year on the depth chart. Ty Dieffenbach is a former three-star recruit from Agoura Hills, Calif., who began his career at the University of Pittsburgh. During the two years he was there, he did not see the field and was even asked to move to the end, which prompted his desire to transfer.
Dieffenbach found a home at Cal Poly, where he earned a starting role. However, injuries, inconsistent play and a poor season saw the Mustangs finish 4-8 and led to Dieffenbach’s search for a new home. He had a strong belief that he could play for a major college football program, and the arrival of coach Bob Chesney at UCLA gave him the opportunity. Fresh off his CFP run with James Madison, Chesney was billed as the second coming of Curt Cignetti.
After training camp, Dieffenbach moved up to the second string. There were even some murmurs that the coaching staff thought he threw the best ball on the roster.
Dieffenbach’s first game at the FBS level would come in the second half of one of UCLA’s biggest games of the season. Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava suffered a foot injury in the second half against Oregon, prompting Dieffenbach to enter the game. He was only asked to throw six times, but led a fourth-quarter drive that created enough of a cushion to allow the Bruins to pull off the upset.
Let the season of Cinderella begin.
Since that upset, UCLA has continued to rack up wins with a formula that will seem familiar to many in Bloomington: a dominant rushing attack that ranks first in the Big Ten, paired with a stifling defense that allows just 14 points per game.
Dieffenbach has managed the offense well and continues to gain confidence each week. He throws a nice ball and excels at setting up passes against zone coverage.
For a 6-foot-1 signal caller, Dieffenbach has a compact movement and a stride with a lot of arm strength. Not to be confused with a dual-threat QB, but he is a very skilled runner and avoids pressure to create from the pocket. It’s impressive to watch his movement in the pocket and the feel he has navigating the pocket under pressure.
Check out this Dieffenbach touchdown pass in the Bruins’ win over Minnesota:
Inexperienced quarterbacks have a tendency to drop their eyes when they have to move from spot to pocket. Dieffenbach moves and resets while still maintaining field vision to make a tackle, then throws a nice ball to UCLA wide receiver Aidan Mizell to try to get the touchdown.
I was hesitant to write about Dieffenbach until he was able to overcome some of those “firsts.” The first start. First start on the road. First chance for defensive coordinators to see some plays and game plan against him. Well, here we are. The Bruins are currently 9-0 and continue to improve and make believers out of me and many others in the college football world.
Now if we could just get some of their fans to show up at their games.
What I’m looking at…
Utah to Arizona
Speaking of firsts – the Big Noon Kickoff heads to Tucson this week for the Wildcats’ Big 12 battle with the nation’s only other undefeated team, Utah. This is essentially a Big 12 championship elimination game for Arizona, a program that has no room for error.
This matchup also features two offenses with quarterbacks who exude different styles of play and took different paths to stardom.
This will be a homecoming of sorts for Utah QB Devon Dampier, who will return to his home state where he played high school football. He began his career at New Mexico, appearing in nine games as a freshman and making one start. He would eventually take over the following year as the full-time starter, becoming the first QB in program history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
Former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck — yes, the one who was just fired at Michigan — was brought to Utah, and Dampier followed. He didn’t eclipse 1,000 yards in his first season with the Utes, but he improved dramatically as a passer, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Despite Beck going to Michigan with former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, Dampier stayed put and now has the Utes sitting at 9-0 and ranked third in the nation.
On the other side is Arizona QB Noah Fifita, who leads one of the most prolific passing attacks in college football. Fifita began his career in Arizona and has never left, despite changes in coaching and easy access to greener pastures through the transfer portal.
Fifita broke out in 2023 and has continued to build with the arrival of Arizona coach Brent Brennan in 2024. He is a comeback in every sense of the word.
Fifita will occasionally get up and run, but he is more focused on keeping his eyes downfield in the passing game. Given his small stature — he’s listed at 5-foot-11, but I’ll bet a ham sandwich he doesn’t measure up to that at the NFL Combine — it’s impressive to watch him throw windows from the pocket and maintain his field vision.
Fifita will eclipse 12,000 career yards in this game, which will make him the 50th player in college soccer history to do so.
This should be fun in the desert!
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