What Kirby Smart said about Texas QB Arch Manning

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The Georgia Bulldogs got a taste of playing Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning when the two teams met twice during the 2024 college football season. Manning completed three of six passes for 19 yards and had five carries for four yards against Georgia.

He saw a little bit of action in Georgia's 30-15 win at Texas in Oct. 2024, but was unable to provide a much of a spark. Manning played even less snaps in the SEC championship, where Georgia won 22-19 in overtime.

This season, Manning has led Texas to a 7-2 record and has completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 2,123 yards. Manning has 18 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He's added six rushing touchdowns and 203 rushing yards this season.

"He's playing with more confidence," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about Manning. "I think No. 1, he's getting better protection. He's seeing things well. He's making good decisions. He's getting the ball out of his hand quickly. He's maturing.

"He's had an opportunity to play and grow and you don't really get that until you get out there and play. He played a good bit last year, but the kind of games he's had to play in this year, just a different stature in terms of the SEC gauntlet."

Smart knows that last year's game will have no bearing on the 2025 Georgia-Texas game. Gone are Georgia's top pass rushers that dominated Texas with 13 sacks and seven forced turnovers over the two meetings.

Georgia will look to pressure Manning, but UGA is last in the SEC in sacks, so Texas' offense should run a little smoother than it did last season. Manning has played his best football recently. He posted a season-high QBR of 92.0 in Texas' 34-31 win over Vanderbilt before the Longhorns' bye week.

"You watch game by game," Smart said. "I watched yesterday, each game throughout the year, and watched him just grow and play and play better. He's extending plays. He's doing really well with scrambles. Keeps his eyes downfield. He doesn't look at the rush. He's made some really impressive wow throws, and they're playing better offensively."

Texas will likely have to lean on Manning. The Longhorns have just the No. 12 rushing offense in the SEC and really struggled to run the ball against Georgia last season (60 total rushing yards in two games versus Georgia). Georgia's run defense is No. 4 in the SEC (allowing 100.2 yards per game), so Manning may have to shoulder much of Texas' offensive productive.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Arch Manning draws praise from Georgia coach Kirby Smart

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