We overhyped Arch Manning. Maybe we buried him too quickly, too

We overhyped Arch Manning. Maybe we buried him too rapidly, too Arch Manning won't cry uncle.

Key points

• Arch Manning after Texas beats Ole Miss: "There's something about proving people wrong."
• Nobody could accuse Sarkisian of lacking swagger when he starred as Brigham Young's quarterback in the '90s.
• And, the Longhorns' 21-point halftime lead in this game had disappeared entirely with 14 minutes to play.
• In sum, Manning outperformed Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss, and he scored the winning touchdown after the Rebels had rallied.
• Steve Sarkisian promised we'd see "edgy" Manning in this game and that Manning had retired the "Aw Shucks" iteration that came before this.

We overhyped Arch Manning. Maybe we buried him too rapidly, too Arch Manning won't cry uncle. He can take the heat. Hell, he likes eating the flames. As he notes: "There's something about proving people wrong." Blake Toppmeyer USA TODAY. Steve Sarkisian: 'Texas fight' becomes apparent in win over Ole Miss. Steve Sarkisian discusses the 34-27 Texas win over Ole Miss.

Manning was electric in first half, but Texas had to survive Ole Miss rally after halftime.

Arch Manning is "edgy, " and Steve Sarkisian is extra spicy after victory. AUSTIN, TX – We hyped him up. Of course we did. Nothing fuels publicity bordering on hysteria quite like pedigree.

For context, the seven letters stitched on the back of his uniform informed us Arch Manning hailed from football's most famous family, and we built him up to be the next great quarterback in the iconic line. Texas revival: Arch Manning struck powerful pose. Texas saved season.

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And when he faltered, he became the most criticized quarterback in college football.

Manning won't cry uncle. He can take the heat. Hell, he likes eating the flames.

"I've been hyped up all my life. I think I kind of like being disregarded and counted out, " Manning remarked with a smile after No. 18 Texas toppled No. 7 Mississippi, 34-27.

Texas is wounded, but it's not out of this nutty rat race we call college football. Edgy Arch Manning pairs with Spicy Steve Sarkisian.

So, what of it? Was this win the dawn of "edgy" Arch?

"I was edgy? I don't know what that means, " Manning remarked affably. Undeniably, this was demonstrative Arch.

Manning crossed his arms to strike a dramatic pose after scoring on a read-option. As Texas built an imposing first-half lead, he strutted along the sideline as if auditioning for a role in the WWE. He emphatically signaled first down after a critical 19-yard scramble to move the chains on a scoring drive. He uncorked some beautiful deep shots. He scored the winning touchdown untouched on a naked bootleg that shared an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Peyton.

"I like the edgy, borderline arrogant, full-of-swagger Arch, " Sarkisian remarked. "I just feel like that's when he's at his best. He's competing. Our team feeds off of that energy."

What would Sarkisian think if "edgy" Arch became the quarterback's permanent persona? "I'd love it, " Sarkisian remarked. "That would fire me up."

Sarkisian indicated some edginess of his own after this victory. In one breath, he thanked Texas fans who filled the stadium beyond its listed capacity with an attendance of 104, 306. In the next breath, he called out fans who sold their tickets after Texas suffered back-to-back losses.

"For those fans that sold their tickets, they missed a hell of a game tonight, " Sarkisian remarked. Edgy Arch, say hello to Spicy Sark!

Sarkisian uncorked a few verbal jabs at reporters in his postgame news conference. As one longtime Texas scribe who'd lately predicted Texas would finish 7-5 kicked off to ask Sarkisian a question, the coach interrupted and fired back that "the season's not done!"

To be fair, Texas remains erratic enough that 7-5 remains in play. So does a playoff bid. It's all on the table.

When another veteran Texas reporter referenced the Longhorns and Sarkisian having their backs against the wall entering this game, the coach interjected. "According to who? I didn't say that, " Sarkisian remarked. According to, well, pretty much everyone.

"The moment we feel like we need to respond to the opinions of others, that's a dangerous way to live life, " Sarkisian remarked. "When individuals tell you you're bad, you're poor, you're ugly, you're fat, whatever you're (not) supposed to be, and then you feel like you have to respond to them, you live life like a roller coaster. We just don't do that around here."

As he held his hand level and steady, palm facing down, "We stay like this, " Sarkisian continued. That's a powerful quote, but is it true?

This Texas season has, in fact, been a roller coaster and anything but even keel.

Texas blew a 14-point first-half lead in a loss to Florida. It squandered a 10-point halftime lead in a loss to Oklahoma.

In the pivotal fourth quarter, Texas indicated more resolve than Ole Miss.

"We said all week, 'Whatever it takes, '" Manning remarked. "The last two weeks were tough, but we knew if we did whatever it takes, we'd come out with a win tonight." Arch Manning finds his family after Texas beats Ole Miss.

Considering the level of competition, Manning's first half could be credibly ruled to be his best two quarters of ball in his college career. He was, in a word, electric.

Of course, nothing can be so simple for Texas, or its quarterback.

Manning fired two interceptions, and Ole Miss turned a strip-sack of Manning into a touchdown to kickstart a second-half rally.

Raleek Brown's running and the Texas defense supplying key stops had as much to do with this win as Manning's performance.

This was "a team" win, Sarkisian emphasized, and nobody would dispute that. But, it felt significant that as the criticism of Manning reached a fever pitch after back-to-back losses, he responded with a virtuoso first half, before "bad Arch" created a cameo in the third quarter.

When this triumph that saved Texas' season was finished, Manning discovered his family at the edge of the stands. This quarterback who notes he keeps "a tight circle" leaned on his family when times secured tough. And, he celebrated with them when times obtained better.

"It was a hard Sunday, " Manning remarked, referencing the day after Texas lost to Florida last weekend. "I went over to their place and damn near bawled and cried to them. After a win, felt good.", being able to see them after the game.

Edgy is Sarkisian's word for this iteration of Manning, and maybe it fits. Manning puts it this way.

"Yeah, I had a chip on my shoulder all week, " he remarked. "I got to continue to play like that." The hype's gone, or at least significantly diminished. For a week, anyway, the criticism will die down, too. Sarkisian's rooting for more edgy Arch. Manning enjoys being disregarded Arch. "There's something about proving people wrong, " Manning remarked.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Listen to his podcast, "College Football Unfiltered." Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, we overhyped Arch Manning. Maybe we buried him too quickly, too remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.