Texas’ Manning caps big day with 60-yard TD run in Citrus Bowl win

ORLANDO, Fla. – Arch Manning made big plays with his arm and legs Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl, throwing two touchdown passes and hitting a 60-yard run in a 41-27 victory that ended a tough month for No. 14 Michigan.

Manning was an easy choice for Citrus Bowl MVP, and that was before he exploded up the middle on his 60-yarder that gave the Longhorns (10-3) a 38-27 lead, the first time in an entire game that either team led by more than one score.

Manning was 21 of 34 for 221 passing yards, and he rushed nine times for 155 yards.

He delivered a perfect throw to Kaliq Lockett on a 30-yard touchdown run for a 31-27 lead, the first time Texas had led from a field goal on its opening drive.

It was a play after he went 15 yards for a first down on fourth-and-2. Manning twice converted on fourth down with clutch runs, each time extending drives that led to touchdowns.

Manning said it was meaningful to finish on a high note after having an up-and-down season.

“I think I’m going back to Coach [Steve Sarkisian’s] “You just have to stay the course and keep competing,” Manning said. “And I think we had a month of preparation before that and to get the new guys acclimated, and it was cool to top it off like we did.”

Kyle Whittingham, who arrived in Orlando on Saturday to begin meeting with players, watched the Citrus Bowl from the box seat. The longtime Utah coach takes over a Michigan team (9-4) that produced a strong running game and played tough on defense despite missing its two best defenders, who opted out of the game.

But there was no answer for Manning, who accounted for about 80 percent of the Longhorns’ offense.

Texas also got excellent production from freshman running back Christian Clark, who had a touchdown and ran for 105 yards on 20 carries. The Longhorns were without their three leading rushers, all of whom are entering the transfer portal.

Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s freshman quarterback, kept the Wolverines in the game until two late interceptions sealed it. He went 23 of 42 for 199 yards and two touchdowns, along with three interceptions in the final 18 minutes of the game.

Underwood, who ran 77 yards, ran for a 5-yard touchdown while diving for the pylon, giving Michigan its final lead at 27-24 with just under 11 minutes to play.

His pass was intercepted by Ty’Anthony Smith over the middle after Texas took the lead, and Smith picked off Underwood again along the sideline on the next drive.

“We have a great soccer team there and, I promise you, not many people wanted to play,” Sargsyan said. “There were probably a lot of teams that were hoping we wouldn’t make the playoffs, and that’s okay, too. But our trajectory is exactly where it needs to be. We’re a very good football team. We lost some tough games. We fought back. We have the right culture, the right mentality.”

Biff Poggi lost for the first time as Michigan’s interim coach. Poggi coached wins over Nebraska and Central Michigan when former coach Sherrone Moore served a two-game suspension related to the 2023 sign-stealing scandal.

Moore was fired three weeks ago due to what the school called an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” and he was arrested and charged with three felonies later that day for breaking into the woman’s home.

Whittingham brings a history of toughness and discipline from his 21 years at Utah, which Michigan hopes can go a long way in providing some stability.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.