Arch Manning delivered under pressure this past weekend. Manning led the Texas Longhorns to a 34-27 victory over the 7th-ranked Ole Miss.
At full time, Manning spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. Manning told the senior sideline reporter to cover all the Texas games because they have yet to lose when she’s present.
However, an awkward moment was captured after the Longhorns quarterback walked away to celebrate.
This after Manning made fun of an AI-generated video clip of Rowe that circulated on social media. This incident became a national issue, and .
In my press conference yesterday, I made an insensitive comment about an AI video. [There is nothing funny about it.] It’s easy to say I didn’t mean it, but I know my words and actions were hurtful to a lot of people. I do not take that lightly and am deeply sorry for that… I specifically want to apologize to Holly Rowe for what she has personally had to deal with because of my comments. I have a ton of respect for her.
Arch Manning wrote on Instagram
In reply, Rowe thanked Manning for owning his mistake. ‘I appreciate our conversation about this, which will remain private. Apology accepted. We move forward with respect and kindness for one another,’ Rowe wrote on Instagram.
Holly Rowe, 60, first joined ESPN in 1995 as a college football reporter. Rowe has also covered college basketball and Women’s Soccer World Cup games. She briefly worked as an analyst for the now-defunct WNBA team Utah Starzz. She has also worked as an analyst for the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
Texas dropped from the top-ranked college football team to 19th after losing to Oklahoma and Florida in back-to-back weeks. Arch Manning’s credentials as a top quarterback and .
Manning answered with a win over Ole Miss. It wasn’t a clean game by the 22-year-old. He started with an interception in the first quarter.
However, Manning redeemed himself with a rushing touchdown just before the end of the first Q. He threw a TD pass to Ryan Wingo in the second and set up running back Michael Terry III for a rushing touchdown. Texas entered halftime with an eighteen-point lead.
Ole Miss mounted a comeback after the restart on the back of another Manning interception. Senior QB Trinidad Chambliss levelled the scores in the fourth quarter with a TD pass to Horatio Fields.
Manning scored a second rushing touchdown five minutes later, and kicker Gianni Spetic scored a field goal. The Rebels reduced the gap to four points with a field goal. Texas hung on to win 34-27.
Arch Manning completed 18 of 32 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He rushed 8 times and scored two touchdowns. Raleek Brown rushed for 157 yards on 23 carries. Wing caught 7 passes for 111 yards and scored one touchdown.
According to college football and transfer portal expert Chris Hummer, the Longhorns are 5-2 in the regular season since 2025 against Top 10 opponents.
Both Texas and Ole Miss are 5-2 after seven weeks. Next week, Texas takes on Mississippi State while Ole Miss hosts Auburn.
Manning committed to play for the Longhorns in 2023. He sat behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons before taking over the starter’s job in 2025. In 33 appearances, Manning has thrown 435 completions for 5639 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He has also rushed for 16 touchdowns.