Arch Manning Gets His 'Swagger' Back — And A Scolding From His Mom

Arch Manning finally looked like the quarterback Texas fans have been waiting to see. And then he immediately reminded everyone he’s still a 21-year-old kid.

In Saturday night’s 55-0 blowout win over Sam Houston, the Longhorns’ third-year sophomore delivered a near-flawless performance: 18-of-21 passing, 309 yards, five total touchdowns, and no turnovers.

But what got people talking wasn’t the box score — it was the viral moment after his first touchdown.

Late in the first quarter, Manning scrambled for a 5-yard score, then immediately stood over fallen Sam Houston defender Antavious Fish and flexed. The ref rushed in to break it up and gave him a tongue lashing, but no penalty was called.

"Yeah, the ref came up to me. I was so scared," Manning admitted. "The ref ripped my ass. I apologized to the ref. I didn't say anything to the guy."

He added: "Probably a little much there [in staring down the defender]... My mom was pretty mad about that. Little immature, but I think it's some built-up frustration for the past few weeks."

That frustration was certainly warranted. Manning came into the game completing just 55% of his passes, with several rocky outings against San Jose State, UTEP and top-ranked Ohio State. At one point in the UTEP game, he threw 10 straight incompletions.

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"He got his swagger back," Texas safety Michael Taaffe said after Saturday's win. "Everybody knew that it was in there. What he showed tonight is what we expect."

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian also weighed in. 

"When he plays a little looser, and he's free, that's the best version of Arch," Sarkisian said. "He got going and started throwing the ball, started using his legs. You could feel the bounce in his step on the field."

Arch Manning took some heat for taunting a Sam Houston player during Saturday's 55-0 Texas win.

(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Still, the optics of taunting a winless team when the Longhorns were favored by 40 points are not great — especially for a quarterback who still has plenty to prove.

"I'm not really worried about what anyone thinks of the narratives," Manning said. "I'm just trying to play ball, get wins. That's most important, especially going into SEC play."

Manning's next test comes Saturday, Oct. 4, in Gainesville as No. 8 Texas travels to face the Florida Gators.