Arch Manning's Red River debut: No fireworks, but plenty of clutch first downs in win over No. 6 Oklahoma

DALLAS -- Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been saddled with immense expectations from the first time he arrived on campus, from No. 1 recruit to preseason Heisman favorite.But playing in one of the nation's signature rivalries against No. 6 Oklahoma, he dominated by excelling with the details. 

Manning's final stat line was relatively pedestrian -- 21-of-27 for 166 yards and a touchdown. But unlike the first few weeks, where Manning was asked to drop bombs downfield, his playmaking ability in the intermediate range was put to the test. 

Playing against an Oklahoma defense that ranks No. 1 in the nation in several categories, the Longhorns knew that Manning would be under duress. The first few weeks, Manning has held onto the ball longer than almost any other quarterback in the Power Four. With potential All-Americans David Stone and R. Mason Thomas on the other side, getting the ball out quick was a priority. 

"Arch can make every throw in the book," wide receiver DeAndre Moore said. "It's really about what the defense is giving us. They played a lot of deep coverage and Arch took advantage of that. It was a really great game plan." 

Manning was pinpoint to start the game, hitting 8-of-9 passes for 52 yards. Many of the passes were screens or slants, but Manning wasn't hitting them early in the year. His accuracy and mechanics looked much improved. 

Eventually, the pressure did come for Manning. The Sooners posted five tackles for loss over the course of a quarter. Instead of running, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian trusted him to create opportunities. Manning soon started buying time with his legs and finding receivers on intermediate crossing routes to keep drives alive. 

"He did a nice job," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "We lost contain a few times to allow him to buy some time. And he's a good player with good skill guys around him. He played with really good poise and made some good plays in tight coverage." 

Third down king

Texas was stifled on its first few drives by the Oklahoma defense, especially as a few young offensive linemen struggled to acclimate. But midway through the second quarter, Manning started taking over at a particular moment: third down. 

"I think being able to stay out of third and long and get more reasonable third downs," Manning said of their success. "Offensive line did a hell of a job and playmakers made plays. That's what it's all about." 

Looking back at the numbers, though, Manning's mettle was stark. From the middle of the second quarter on, Manning faced 11 times third downs. Those plays averaged a distance to gain of 6.7 yards, an obvious passing situation -- the type Oklahoma's defense feasts on. 

Manning was electric in those sequences, completing 8-of-9 passes for 105 yards and adding two carries for 35 yards. The highlight was a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Moore on third-and-8. His 26-yard scamper ending in a slide was a game-ending play, and he waved goodbye to the crowd. 

"He proved today, he's a great quarterback and we're all behind him," wide receiver Parker Livingstone said. "He's the leader of this team and the leader of this offense." 

The Texas efforts on third down completely transformed the heavyweight battle. The Longhorns strung together drives of 12 plays, 14 plays and 13 plays as they built a 13-6 lead in the fourth quarter. The weight later stacked onto Oklahoma, which allowed a 75-yard punt return to Ryan Niblett that was the closing statement. 

"I think so much is made about Arch," Sarkisian said. "When we don't win, it's his fault, when we do win, everybody praise Arch. We're the team and Arch will be the first to tell you that. He's an awesome teammate." 

Handling the moment

Through the first five games, Texas ranked among the worst teams nationally on third down. The Longhorns ranked No. 116, converting on only 34% of third downs. In the 29-21 loss to Florida, Texas went 3-of-11 on third down, with Manning completing just 3-of-7 passes on those key downs. 

Many of the struggles have come down to his footwork and technique in these key moments. Passes have fallen into the dirt, especially in the middle of the field. Against Oklahoma, Texas saw a more relaxed Manning that handled himself well in key moments. 

Heading into the matchup, Manning was completing only 46.7% of passes when under pressure with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Against Oklahoma, he jumped up to 58.3% completion. His average depth of target on those passes was 15.9 yards in the first few games, but went down to 5.8 against Oklahoma as he grew more comfortable taking advantage of underneath routes. 

Texas doesn't need Manning to carry the offense. Consistency is enough. 

Manning's performance doesn't fix all of Texas's issues, but it does give them a second life. The Longhorns move to 4-2, and 1-1 in SEC play. Even with AP Top 10 games against No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 10 Georgia on the docket, the Longhorns still face one of the easiest paths among the SEC contenders. 

Losing to Oklahoma would have been a death sentence for the Longhorns' season. Now, thanks to Arch, they have second life. 

"We won the conference a year ago in the regular season by going 7-1 in conference play," Sarkisian said. "If we can play the way we played today, we're plenty good enough to compete with any team in our conference."