Arch Manning ran for two touchdowns and passed for two in Texas’ 41-27 win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday. Dustin Markland / Getty Images
Arch Manning capped off 2025 with his best dual-threat game of the season.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others — one of them by outracing the entire defense for 60 yards — to lead No. 13 Texas past No. 18 Michigan 41-27 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, had nine carries for 155 yards and was 21-for-34 for 221 passing yards, earning him the Citrus Bowl MVP. He finished the season with a 10-3 record as the starting QB.
With Michigan leading 27-24 in the fourth quarter, Manning engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Manning’s 30-yard touchdown strike to Kaliq Lockett with less than seven minutes left.
Dropped in a bucket 🎯 pic.twitter.com/tCDjZUdwQQ
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 31, 2025
On Texas’ next possession, Manning faked a handoff, burst through a gaping hole in the line and outraced everyone to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown that gave Texas an 11-point lead with 5:05 left in the game.
Y’all see that speed? 👀 pic.twitter.com/JmOoz6VKlG
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 31, 2025
Manning’s bowl game performance came four months after a shaky start to his season, a 14-7 loss at Ohio State in the season opener in which he completed 17 of 30 passes for only 170 yards, with a touchdown and interception. Five weeks later, he threw two picks in a 29-21 defeat at Florida.
But since those early struggles, Manning threw 15 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in winning seven of eight games. During the regular season, he passed for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He said he’s returning to Texas for his junior season in 2026.