AUSTIN, Texas — Dan Orlovsky said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up that Texas quarterback Arch Manning has his upper body and lower body in sync in a way they were not last season, and that the film from Saturday’s season opener would make him the best quarterback in America. Get Up posted the breakdown before a separate Manning segment with Paul Finebaum and Heather Dinich.
Manning’s physical talent covered for the mechanics last season, in Orlovsky’s read.
“Synchronized,” Orlovsky said. “And that’s really the story of last year to this year, is he’s in sync upper body and lower body. He’s so physically talented that last year he would get away with it. Number one, moving in the pocket, wants to set to throw. The player is taken away by that slot defender. He would do this last year and then throw completely off balance, and the ball would sail. Moving in the pocket to his left, the ball is perfect.”
“This is one of my favorite plays,” Orlovsky continued. “This is an RPO. He’s reading the bottom of the screen go route. That’s safety. If he drives down for the run, he’s got to flip his hips. But this is the best part. One, bent front leg. Two, look at the left arm. It’s across his chest, not swinging open and flailing like he’s throwing a punch with the backside of his hand. And then the touchdown pass is absolutely outrageous.”
Texas beat Texas State 59-7 on Sept. 5 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Manning completed 20-of-27 passes for 305 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception, and he connected with eight different receivers. He threw touchdown passes to Ryan Wingo, Cam Coleman twice, and Hollywood Smothers. Manning left in the third quarter with Texas ahead 42-7, and the Longhorns finished with 516 yards.
Dan Orlovsky On Arch Manning’s Touchdown Pass To Cam Coleman
Manning took a hit as he released the touchdown throw, in Orlovsky’s account.
“He’s got trips at the top of the screen,” Orlovsky added. “He holds that safety. He’s got Cam Coleman at the bottom on a post. He’s getting absolutely destroyed throwing that ball with that safety driving. You put those clips on that highlight tape, and you’re saying Trinidad Chambliss is great. Sam Leavitt is great. This guy’s the best quarterback in America.”
“He is so physically talented,” Orlovsky noted. “And the fact that you’re seeing this match with this, meaning doing the same thing at the same time, that’s the difference between that young man in comparison to last year. And this is a tremendous start. Everything obviously is on the line this coming Saturday, but this was a different version of Arch that we had seen last year.”
Orlovsky is a 12-year NFL quarterback who joined ESPN in 2018. Detroit took him in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
Coleman caught 3 passes for 70 yards in his Texas debut. He spent his first two seasons at Auburn, where he caught 93 passes for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns in 23 games, and he was rated the top wide receiver in the transfer portal before signing with Texas.
Trinidad Chambliss started the 2025 season as the backup at Ole Miss and took over in Week 3. Across the regular season he completed 218-of-333 passes for 3,016 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He won the Conerly Trophy, was named SEC Newcomer of the Year, and was a second-team All-SEC selection after transferring from Division II Ferris State.
Sam Leavitt transferred to LSU from Arizona State in the offseason. He missed spring practice following foot surgery, and a foot injury ended his 2025 season at Arizona State.
Arch Manning And Texas Ahead Of The Ohio State Rematch
In 2025, his first season as the full-time starter, Manning completed 248-of-404 passes for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He ran for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns. Over the final eight games, he threw 15 touchdown passes with 2 interceptions. His 3,163 passing yards rank 10th in program history. The 26 touchdown passes rank sixth.
Texas opened that season at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and finished 12th. The Longhorns went 10-3 and missed the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State won the 2025 opener 14-7 on Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium. Manning completed 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in his first road start, and Texas went 1-for-5 on fourth down. The 7 points were the fewest Texas had scored in a game since Nov. 6, 2021.
The Buckeyes opened this season with a 56-3 win over Ball State on Sept. 5. Ohio State coach Ryan Day gave his team 15 minutes to celebrate before turning to Texas.
Ohio State leads the series 3-2 and has won the last two meetings. Saturday is the third straight season the programs have met, and it is Ohio State’s first game in Austin since 2006.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from the Texas campus from 8 to 11 a.m. CT.
