The Texas Longhorns had a very rough first half on offense Saturday against UTEP, and many fans made their anger clear toward Arch Manning and the offense.
Manning threw ten straight incompletions, one of them an interception, during a stretch in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Tx. Fans quickly grew restless as the Longhorns struggled to move the ball against a UTEP squad that was not expected to provide Texas with much resistance, and late in the second quarter, the boos were audible.
NEW: Texas fans boo Arch Manning and the Longhorns amid a sluggish first half vs. UTEP😬
— On3 (@On3sports) September 13, 2025
(via @backdoorisopen)https://t.co/DNXiy69N9d pic.twitter.com/57fKvPAT26
Manning wound up scoring a rushing touchdown before halftime to stretch the Texas lead to 14-3. At halftime, coach Steve Sarkisian downplayed the crowd reaction, saying it was a signal that Manning had made it as a quarterback.
“I told Arch before the season, you’ve never really been a quarterback until they boo you. He got booed in the first half. Now he can start playing,” Sarkisian said.
Manning went just 5/16 for 69 yards with an interception in the first half. His performances have not met expectations so far, and there were even questions about whether he is fully healthy after last week’s showing.
The season is still young, and Manning is only a sophomore. However, Texas fans expected a lot more than this, and the honeymoon for the quarterback is clearly over.
