Arch Manning says he'll 'die on the hill of letting it rip' as Texas hosts Ole Miss

Arch Manning starts for No. 19 Texas against No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday night with his job openly in question. Steve Sarkisian said he is sticking with Manning, then added, "I need to see a better version of Arch," according to the Associated Press. Kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium is 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Manning's answer this week was to promise he'll stop hesitating. "I'm gonna die on the hill of letting it rip," he said.

The numbers explain the pressure. Texas has lost two straight, 27-24 to Oklahoma and 27-24 to Florida, the first back-to-back regular-season losses for the Longhorns since 2021, and both teams were unranked. Texas was No. 1 before the skid. Manning has 1,295 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, per ESPN. The offense ranks in the bottom third of the SEC and has not scored more than three touchdowns since the opener. It also hasn't scored a third-quarter touchdown in five games. Against Florida, Texas ran six plays for eight yards in the third quarter.

That puts Sarkisian, the play caller, on the hook as much as his quarterback. If Manning struggles, the backup is sophomore KJ Lacey, who is 7 for 8 in mop-up duty and hasn't played since Sept. 19.

The Manning family ties make this one louder. Archie and Eli Manning both played quarterback at Ole Miss, and this is the first meeting between the schools since Texas joined the SEC. Rebels coach Pete Golding wasn't piling on. "Somehow it's been lost that they beat the No. 1 team in the country and they were the No. 1 team in the country," he said, pointing to the 24-23 win over Ohio State on Sept. 12. "Arch is still an elite player."

Ole Miss is 5-1 and coming off a 31-3 win over Missouri, its answer to a 52-28 loss at Florida. Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 1,676 yards and 14 touchdowns. Texas may be without star edge rusher Colin Simmons, who has 10 1/2 sacks and a high ankle sprain, and his top backup, Richard Wesley, is out, the AP reported. Texas is a 3-point favorite with a total of 54.5 in ESPN's odds feed.

A third straight loss would likely end Texas' playoff hopes, per the AP. Watch the third quarter, where this offense has gone dead, and how quickly Sarkisian looks to Lacey if the first half goes badly.