Arch Manning, Texas survive Ole Miss after another second-half meltdown creates Austin anxiety

There are two faces to Texas, and I still don’t know which one we saw Saturday night against No. 7 Ole Miss as the Longhorns pulled off a thrilling 34-27 upset that came down to the final play.

A week of buildup around a different version of Arch Manning and the pressure Steve Sarkisian was facing in regard to this offense showing up for all four quarters was nearing a combustable stage against Pete Golding's Rebels on Saturday night.

Just when you thought this Texas team had shown us every possible way to blow a lead, it found a new one Saturday night in Austin.

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Racing out to a 24-3 lead, thanks to Arch Manning looking like the quarterback NFL scouts were drooling over in the preseason, this game felt like a blowout waiting to happen.

For the folks at home, we had seen this movie numerous times over the 2026 season. Texas gets a lead, and then throws it away in the second half. We had seen it against Oklahoma and Florida over the past three weeks.

If worried Longhorn fans thought they were going to catch a break in the second half, they were sorely mistaken. Texas managed just 19 yards in the third quarter while Ole Miss scored 14 points.

It was the Rebels scoring 21 unanswered points that had Texas fans going through another anxiety-filled evening, waiting for the other shoe to drop that it had seen too many times this season. When Arch Manning went cold, Trinidad Chambliss heated up.

By now, the Longhorns should come with a disclaimer warning that any lead could turn into a tie at any moment. And you can’t blame the Will Muschamp-coached defense, considering how much time it spends on the field every week.

A tale of two halves was once again rearing its ugly head when the Ole Miss defense forced a fumble after sacking Arch Manning, returning it for the touchdown that sparked the second half comeback.

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What we witnessed once again was the Texas offense tightening up like a vice grip, with Manning having thrown his second interception with 13:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. Just as we witnessed against Oklahoma, Arch started throwing ducks, and this time it was Ole Miss ready to pounce on the mistakes.

But then we watched the Longhorns flip a switch in the fourth quarter, as if everything that had taken place before Arch Manning strolled into the end zone for a Texas touchdown had simply been a case of the yips.

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"We say every week, 'whatever it takes,' and I think we did that in the fourth quarter," Manning mentioned after the game.

Just when you thought it was over, though, Ole Miss put together a frenzied finish that saw them connect on a field goal, then recover an onside kick that gave the Rebels one last chance to tie this game up.

A Trinidad Chambliss heave to the end zone wound up in the hands of a Texas defender, and the frenzy came to an end with the Longhorns holding off this fierce Ole Miss team that gave us a thrilling second half.

"I was pacing, saying a few prayers," Arch Manning said about the final Ole Miss drive. "Our defense came up clutch, that's what it's all about."

The problem with this game is that we witnessed two SEC perceived heavyweights trading haymakers for two halves.

If you haven’t noticed, we are all struggling to decide on who is good enough to be called "elite" in college football.

Coming out of Saturday's showdown in Austin, those questions are going to linger over the next five to six weeks. In the third quarter, we witnessed the Rebels playing with ferocity on defense while Trinidad Chambliss opened up the offense by throwing multiple touchdowns like we witnessed against Missouri last week.

By the time Texas fans were done celebrating the drone show at DKR Stadium to start the fourth quarter, it was if another switch had flipped in the head of this Texas offense. The problem that will continue to fester for Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian over the rest of this season centers around this offense struggling to play consistent football.

Now, moving forward, Texas will face Missouri and LSU over the next three weeks, and the challenges will only get tougher.

Which Longhorns football team will show up? I don't think any of us know the answer to that question.