No. 19 Texas will aim to earn a signature victory and keep its College Football Playoff dreams alive when it hosts Diego Pavia and No. 11 Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Whether the Longhorns will do so without their most famous player remains to be seen.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning is questionable to play in the Longhorns’ matchup against the Commodores in Week 10, according to the SEC athlete availability report released on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The star sophomore remains in concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the overtime period of his team’s come-from-behind 45-38 win Oct. 25 at Mississippi State. Manning was hurt on a 13-yard scramble that put Texas in position for what would ultimately be the game-winning touchdown pass from Manning’s backup, Matthew Caldwell.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters on Monday, Oct. 27 that he would receive an update on Manning’s playing status later in the week.
The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class — and, perhaps more notably, the nephew of former NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning — has struggled in his first season as a starter, completing 60.9% of his passes for 1,795 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, along with 199 rushing yards and six scores.
He put together arguably the best game of his college career last week, though, throwing for 346 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to help Texas overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road against Mississippi State to force overtime.
Manning is one of four Longhorns listed as questionable on the availability report, a group that also includes All-American safety Michael Taaffe, starting offensive lineman Cole Hutson and freshman edge rusher Lance Jackson.
In the event Manning can’t play, Texas will turn to Caldwell, a graduate transfer who started last season at Troy, where he completed 63.2% of his passes for 1,608 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.