​Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) escapes pressure by Mississippi linebacker Luke Ferrelli, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman) (Stephen Spillman/AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)
AUSTIN — On a night when a quarterback at DKR looked skittish and uncertain and played well beneath his pedigree, the surprising news Saturday was that, for the first time this season, the guilty party wasn’t Arch Manning. And then the second half started. So who would pull it out? Trinidad Chambliss, the sixth-year veteran and Heisman contender? Or the guy whose job supposedly was in jeopardy last week? Manning shook off a disastrous third quarter by the hosts with 10 fourth-quarter points to give the 19th-ranked Longhorns a 34-27 win over seventh-ranked Ole Miss before 104,306, most of whom had all the excitement sucked out of them by second-half mistakes typical of Texas’ back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida.Hey, Steve Sarkisian: What does it say when you win after losing the war on turnovers, penalties and injuries, and you lose an onside kick when you’re trying to put the game away?“Well, one, I think we got a pretty good team,” the Texas coach said.“Two, it’s a dangerous way to live, right?”The Longhorns are pretty used to walking on the wild side by now, and lately it hadn’t worked out well. Only a couple days ago, they were in freefall from the top of the polls. Manning was in danger of losing his job. His boss might have been right behind him had the losing streak reached three, a stretch not seen in Austin since his 5-7 debut. Manning bailed them both out with an 80-yard, fourth-quarter drive, topped off by his 1-yard stroll into the end zone on a naked bootleg, and another drive that resulted in a field goal, proving the Longhorns had a finish in them at that. Kinda.Sorta. First they had to make one last stop after the Rebels recovered an onside kick that might have passed through more hands than a collection plate. Only when the Longhorns had secured their third interception of the night on a Hail Mary with no time left was Texas’ win assured. Of course, it was only natural they couldn’t do it the easy way. They blew a 24-3 first-half lead because of 134 yards worth of penalties and a gift of six points. The Rebels’ good fortune fueled their rise. Until the third quarter, Texas’ defense might have made Chambliss wish a state court judge in Mississippi hadn’t granted him that sixth year of eligibility after all. In the first half, Mel Kiper’s third-favorite quarterback and the sixth player overall on his big board completed just 6 of 18 passes for 63 yards with a pair of interceptions. He finished 25 of 52 for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half to Horatio Fields, though his three picks were deal-killers. Meanwhile, Manning, Mel’s sixth-favorite QB, finally lived up to the faith in his future. Or maybe i