After a rocky start to the 2025 college football season, the Texas Longhorns have been able to get their groove back as they clinched their 3rd consecutive win in week 9 against Mississippi State in a thrilling overtime win.
The game was one for the ages as the fans got to see Manning in a way they hadn’t before, as he scored a career high 29 of 46 passes for 346 yards along with three touchdowns and one interception.
Unfortunately, Manning was injured when he hit his head on the ground and had to leave the field, eventually being put on a concussion protocol ahead of the Vanderbilt game.
Manning practiced on both Wednesday and Thursday but has been put on the “questionable” list for the matchup. However, while talking about the game plan for Saturday’s showdown, Steve Sarkisian said:
“We haven’t changed anything we’ve done,” Sarkisian said in his weekly appearance on Zoom Thursday morning. “Our system has been our system. I know that his coaches and his teammates have the utmost confidence and respect for Matt Caldwell. He performs really well. I know you guys have a very small sample size of what you’ve seen in game, but he gives us a ton of confidence in the way he practices everyday, the way that he works. Naturally, he’s been thrown into the fire here a couple different times in SEC play and has performed very well. The gameplan is the gameplan. I think all of his teammates have a ton of confidence in him if it’s his time to go.”
Sarkisian on not knowing who will be at QB on Saturday:
“We haven’t changed anything that we’ve done.”
“I know that us coaches, and his teammates, have the utmost confidence and respect for Matt Caldwell.” pic.twitter.com/TbgnhaKGHt
— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) October 30, 2025
Steve Sarkisian Opens Up About Matthew Caldwell After Initial First-Team Reps
While Steve Sarkisian shared on Thursday that Arch Manning is making good progress, it’s not clear whether he’ll be fit to play against Vanderbilt in week 10.
Speaking of the Longhorns’ QB2, Matthew Caldwell, Sarkisian expressed his confidence in the backup quarterback, who last played during the 2024 season’s Iowa matchup, and Caldwell finished 14 of 21 passing for 156 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception.
Sarkisian said that Caldwell is a “keel guy,” and shared that he had a good practice on 27th October during his weekly press conference, reaffirming his confidence in the QB.
“He’s a very even keel guy,” Sarkisian said at a press conference. “I thought he had a great practice today. I think the players have a lot of confidence in him. I think it’s his maturity, his approach.”
“He’s always picking guys up. Offense, defense, special teams. So, he’s got a really good relationship with the guys. I don’t think it’s like ‘Who’s this guy?’ He’s in a lot of faces a lot of the time. So, felt very comfortable, felt normal today.”
Texas will face Diego Pavia-led Vanderbilt at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, at noon ET, 1 Nov.
Read more – Steve Sarkisian Offers Crucial Arch Manning Injury Update Ahead of Vanderbilt Showdown in Week 10
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
