Arch Manning shoved Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian during Saturday’s game against Sam Houston State, but the animated moment was widely misinterpreted.
Manning looked sharp while leading Texas to a 55-0 win over Sam Houston State at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. After he ran for a touchdown early in the game to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead, Manning was spotted on the sideline having what some thought was a heated exchange with Sarkisian.
A video that was widely circulated showed Manning shoving Sarkisian and then walking away.
Didn’t like him before – loathe him entirely now pic.twitter.com/T1F1zGejE2
— Waaaay Offsides Cotton 🏆🏌️🐘🏈⚽️🏀🥎🤸♀️🏆 (@AlafrigginBama) September 21, 2025
Many fans were shocked by the video. Without context, it looked like Manning got so angry with Sarkisian that he shoved the coach. That is not what happened, however.
Manning was fired up after putting together a big drive. The shove also came after Manning taunted a Sam Houston opponent.
Arch later admitted that he may have been a bit too fired up. He said he had some built up frustration from the previous few games, which was understandable given how inconsistent he has played this year. The emotion carried over when he talked with Sarkisian after the drive, but Manning was fired up in a positive way — not angry — when he pushed his coach.
