With its small hopes of a College Football Playoff on the line, Texas football secured a needed win Saturday by racing away from Arkansas 52-37 behind a record-setting game from quarterback Arch Manning.

The Longhorns (8-3, 5-2) scored their most points ever in a SEC game, and they needed almost all of them against the explosive attack of Arkansas (2-9, 0-7). The Razorbacks tallied 512 yards of offense, the most a Texas team has allowed since Washington had 537 yards in a 37-31 win in their 2023 CFP semifinal.

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Manning threw for a career-high 389 yards to power Texas to the win and set up a Friday showdown against blood rival and unbeaten Texas A&M, the third-ranked team in the nation.

Here’s how the Longhorns graded out in the 52-37 win over Arkansas:

Manning offered some self-criticism after the game, but it’s hard to find much fault in his career day. He threw four touchdowns, ran for another and even caught a touchdown pass from wide receiver Parker Livingstone on a trick play to become the first Texas player to ever run, catch and throw for a score in a single game. The lone critique: He went 18 of 30 and missed a couple of throws.

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The combination of Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter continues to carry the load, and it continues to plod along. They combined for 91 yards on 22 carries and didn’t catch a single pass. Baxter runs hard, but it looks like he may need another offseason to regain his explosiveness after undergoing knee surgery in August 2024.

This unit continues to spread the wealth. DeAndre Moore Jr. stepped into the starring role with a career-high three touchdowns on three catches, and Ryan Wingo continued to be the most productive receiver on the squad with six catches. Tight end Jack Endries also got into the act with two catches for 49 yards. Best of all, no drops for a group that has shown some butter fingers.

The Longhorns started the same quintet of left tackle Travor Goosby, left guard Cole Hutson, center Connor Roberston, right guard DJ Williams and right tackle Brandon Baker for the third straight game. That continuity is paying off, especially in pass protection. Manning didn’t suffer a single sack and only absorbed three hits with arguably his best protection of the season.

Texas’ defensive line had its hands full, especially early before Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green and running back Mike Washington Jr. left the game with injuries. Edge rushers Colin Simmons (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1½ tackles for loss) and Ethan Burke (6 tackles) had big games, but the interior had trouble with the big Hogs.

All-American middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. missed the game with a hand injury, and it showed. Edge backer Trey Moore played much of the game out of position inside and Ty’Anthony Smith was ejected for a targeting call that will cause him to miss the first half of the game against Texas A&M. Liona Leafu’s scoop-and-score touchdown off a strip sack by Simmons was the unit’s only highlight, even if the ball did end up in Bevo’s pen.

Arkansas threw for 324 yards on 26-of-49 passing even though backup QB KJ Jackson played almost half the game. The Longhorns did get an interception from Derek Williams Jr. on an ill-advised shovel pass by Green, but missed tackles and blown coverages remain a concern. One side note: Freshman Kade Phillips seems to have taken over the starting cornerback spot from Jaylon Guilbeau opposite Malik Muhammad.

Moore had a strange punt return in which he fielded the ball in the end zone and barely made it to the 5-yard line. Punter Jack Boumeester dropped two of his three kicks inside the Hogs’ 20-yard line, Mason Shipley made a 44-yard field goal just before the half, and Texas avoided the miscues that have plagued them in several games.

Steve Sarkisian is cooking as a play-caller and as a quarterbacks coach, considering Manning’s development over the past month. He also shows that his team usually rebounds in tough weeks; Sarkisian’s teams are 10-0 after a loss since 2022. But defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s group couldn’t handle the Hogs, even with their backup quarterback.