It’s been a rough couple of days for sports fans in Texas. On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys traded away a generational talent in Micah Parsons, and on Saturday, a hyped-up generational talent had a lackluster performance for the No. 1 Longhorns.
Arch Manning entered the 2025 college football season as the Heisman Trophy favorite for the top-ranked team in the country, but the team came up short in the season opener against the defending national champion Ohio State.
The Longhorns offense struggled to get anything going in the 14-7 loss to the No. 3 Buckeyes, failing to score until the fourth quarter. Manning finished the game 17-of-30 for 170 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
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The internet does what it does best and roasted Manning for the team’s loss, but at least one level-headed person came to his defense. Enter Cowboys legend Dez Bryant, who rallied behind the rising star quarterback with some words of wisdom.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning drops back to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
“You sound crazy,” Dez replied to a fan who wrote, “Arch ain’t int” after the game. “[One] game against the defending national champions.. he missed a couple of throws trying to protect the WRs from getting blown up as well..
“His IQ for the game is sky high the minor mistakes will be fixed as the season goes on.”
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Dez is spot on. Not only was Arch making his first start on the road in his college career, it was against the defending champions, a top-five defense, and one of the most difficult stadiums to play for away teams, “The Shoe.”
Texas is also replacing several wide receivers who left for the NFL this past offseason, so there will be a bit of a learning curve. Bryant did campaign for the Cowboys to draft Arch after the Parsons trade, so maybe he’s a little biased, but he’s right that Manning deserves time to grow.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning walks back the team huddle against Ohio State Buckeyes / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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