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How does Arch Manning's first start on the road compare to other Longhorn QBs?

by: Justin Nash09/01/25
Arch Manning
Arch Manning

By now everyone knows that Arch Manning had a game that he will want to forget in his first start on the road. That environment was real and the intensity disrupted the offense, but how does his performance compare to previous Texas starters in similar circumstances?

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The first set of games we are looking at come from starts on the road versus a Power 5 opponent or against a top 15 team at home. For the quarterbacks listed, these games are either their first, second, or third career start. For Manning, Saturday’s game at Ohio State was his third career start.

The average ESPN QBR for a Texas quarterback in these circumstances is 55.1, so by that metric Manning was slightly above average. This includes performances from Colt McCoy and Vince Young, with McCoy’s game against Ohio State in 2006 being the most comparable to Manning’s stat line.

If you remove the home games and look at each quarterback’s first road start versus a Power 5 team, Manning finishes well above the 46.3 average QBR. When you factor in the environment from the Horseshoe, the first road start from Manning looks a tiny bit better in comparison.

These next three games will be crucial for Manning’s confidence down the road, but Texas fans should remain patient and hopeful that Manning can chalk this game up to road game jitters.

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