Texas QB Manning with 2 early TD throws against No. 9 Vanderbilt after clearing concussion protocol

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — While Texas Longhorns fans wondered if Arch Manning would return from a concussion to play against No. 9 Vanderbilt, Manning himself never doubted it.

There were public hints all week that he'd be back from the injury sustained a week earlier at Mississippi State. They included a social media post of Manning getting pulled over by police on a traffic stop, coach Steve Sarkisian noting his “good progress” in concussion protocol, and Manning being dropped off the team injury report Friday night.

But it wasn't official that he'd play until Manning stepped on the field for the No. 20 Longhorns right after kickoff. Then he delivered arguably the best game of his career with 328 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 34-31 win.

Texas was in complete control with a 34-10 lead in the fourth quarter before Vanderbilt staged a furious rally that barely fell short.

“I felt good the whole time,” Manning said of the week monitoring his concussion recovery.

Manning faced withering criticism earlier in the season after a string of bad games. Texas went from preseason No. 1 to unranked after a 3-2 start, but has now won four in a row to stay in contention for the Southeastern Conference title and a possible berth in the College Football Playoff.

He is now the first Texas quarterback with consecutive games off at least 300 yards passing and three touchdowns since 2018.

“I could feel early in the season we weren’t very mature offensively. We weren’t mature enough at quarterback. And Arch will tell you that where he is today is not where he was a month ago,” Sarkisian said.

Manning's first pass was a short toss in the flat to Ryan Wingo on the first play of the game. Wingo took it 75 yards for a touchdown.

His second TD throw came as rolled right and found C.J. Baxter in the end zone. On his third, Manning stood in tough against pressure and fired a sharp pass to Emmett Mosely V just before he was hit.

“He's making really good decisions,” Sarkisian said.

“The concussion helped,” Manning joked.

The photo posted on social media of Manning getting pulled over on a traffic stop was a strong hint he'd be well enough to play. It was also another reminder of the very public life he leads.

He said it was the first time he's been pulled over.

“It didn't help that I didn't have my wallet,” Manning said. “That was definitely weird. I only had my window down for like 20 seconds."

Sarkisian said he also was confident during the week Manning would play, but had to follow the rules of the medical protocol to get him on the field.

“Technically he was cleared Thursday. We took one more precaution just to make sure when he woke up Friday that he was in a good space. Arch felt really good about it all week,” Sarkisian said.

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