Paul Finebaum: Texas' only positive vs. Florida came when Arch Manning was out of the game

Texas quarterback Arch Manning had to leave the game for one play after his helmet came off on the Longhorns’ final drive of the game on Saturday. Backup QB Matthew Caldwell replaced Manning and, on one his play in the game, connected with wide receiver Ryan Wingo for a 26-yard completion and first down.

Manning returned to the game on the following play and was ultimately unable to score. Texas fell 29-21 to Florida. During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum took a shot at Manning while criticizing Texas’ performance in the loss.

“There’s no explanation of how inept that program has been,” Finebaum said. “The only positive thing I saw yesterday was the one play Arch Manning was out of the game.”

In the loss, Manning completed 16-of-his-29 pass attempts for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. He also rushed for 37 yards on 15 carries.

Texas is 0-2 against Power Four opponents this season. Manning also had a lackluster showing in the Longhorns’ season-opening 14-7 loss to Ohio State.

Some fans believed Manning had found his footing between Week 1 and Week 6. Manning pieced together several solid performances against inferior completion in between Texas’ two losses.

Alas, Manning wasn’t able to lead Texas to a win in its first SEC showdown of the season. Finebaum claims college football fans shouldn’t have been surprised by the outcome of the game.

“If you follow college football, you could not have been surprised,” Finebaum said. “That didn’t stop a lot of people from reading from the hymnal and saying, ‘Well, I think Texas is going to win.’ … The game ended up being about Texas, but the predictions were based on how bad Florida had been, if that makes any sense whatsoever.”

As a result of the loss, Texas fell out of the AP Top 25 this week after entering the 2025 campaign ranked as the No. 1 team in the country. Arch Manning isn’t dodging any of the blame for the Longhorns’ struggles.

“We have to play better as an offense and as a team. It starts with me being a better leader, and we’re going to have to do that starting tomorrow,” Manning said after the loss. “… As much as losses sting your heart, this one’s going to hurt. It’s always something to learn from. You win some, then you learn more. We’ll learn from this and get better.”