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Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Citrus Bowl)

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Collecting all the post-game analysis articles, including those behind paywalls, regarding the UM game here:

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 13 Texas 41, No. 18 Michigan 27: Three things we learned

The No. 13 Texas Longhorns took a while to get rolling, but a close game turned into a comfortable win after a huge fourth quarter from the defense, including two fourth quarter interceptions of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood. Texas managed to put the offense into gear in the fourth quarter, mostly thanks to the efforts of the other star quarterback in the game, Texas’s Arch Manning.

Arch Manning has all the tools he needs to be successful

It’s hard to call this a coming out party for a player that is already a household name, but the former No. 1 player in the country truly looked up to the billing against Michigan and put up what could be the jumping off point for a stellar junior year. His 376-yard performance was capped off by Texas’s two longest offensive plays of the game, a 30-yard bomb to Kaliq Lockett and a 60-yard designed run coming off of an Underwood turnover, extending the lead to two scores.

Manning accounted for six of the Longhorns’ runs longer than 10 yards and 130 of his 221 passing yards came on passes longer than 15 plays. He still needs to grow on completing deep balls, connecting on just 3-7 passes longer than 15 yards, but his wide receivers did him little help in that regard.

The offense needs help at the skill positions

Just one credited drop, but anyone watching the game saw the ball careen off of wide receivers’ hands on multiple catchable balls. Parker Livingstone and Ryan Wingo, who left the game early due to injury, both had multiple drops in crucial moments, while while up-and-comers like Daylan McCutcheon saw good passes bounce off of their hands and land on the turf. Kaliq Lockett hauled in the first touchdown of his career off of a dime from a hobbled Manning, but Texas still needs a lot of help.

With both RB1 and RB2 out, Christian Clark did well carrying the ball for Texas, averaging 5.3 yarder per carry on the way to his first 100-yard game. After Clark, though, Michael Terry, III came off of the bench and chipped in just 1 carry for no gain, leaving Manning to be the other running back for the offense.

The special teams unit needs to improve next year

Jeff Banks’s unit was abhorrent in the game, setting up the Michigan offense in positive field position multiple times, especially after the Longhorns scored a touchdown — exposing how much Texas benefits when a kicker can put the ball deep in the end zone. Andrew Marsh averaged 36 yards per return, a clip that included a 51-yard return in the third quarter that put Michigan deep in Texas territory late in the third quarter. Thankfully, Wardell Mack picked off Bryce Underwood in the end zone to end the threat.

Add to that a block in the back penalty on a punt return that backed Texas into its own territory in the second quarter, the Longhorns’ special teams unit once again had a mental lapse that cost the offense.

Alex Valdes: Arch Manning puts on dual-threat show in Texas’ Citrus Bowl win over Michigan

Arch Manning capped off 2025 with his best dual-threat game of the season. The redshirt sophomore quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others — one of them by outracing the entire defense for 60 yards — to lead No. 13 Texas past No. 18 Michigan 41-27 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, had nine carries for 155 yards and was 21-for-34 for 221 passing yards, earning him the Citrus Bowl MVP. He finished the season with a 10-3 record as the starting QB.

Arch thus follows in the footsteps of Uncle Peyton, who 30 years ago led Tennessee past Ohio State 20-14 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day 1996. Peyton also led the Vols past Northwestern 48-28 in the 1997 Citrus Bowl and was named MVP. “Nothing against the Citrus Bowl,” Arch Manning said Wednesday. “I don’t want to have to play in it twice.” With Michigan leading 27-24 in the fourth quarter, Manning engineered a nine-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Manning’s 30-yard touchdown strike to Kaliq Lockett with less than seven minutes left.

On the next Texas possession, Manning faked a handoff, burst through a gaping hole in the line and outraced everyone to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown that gave Texas an 11-point lead with 5:05 left in the game.

Manning’s bowl game performance came four months after a shaky start to his season, a 14-7 loss at Ohio State in the season opener in which he completed 17 of 30 passes for only 170 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Five weeks later, he threw two picks in a 29-21 defeat at Florida. But since those early struggles, Manning threw 15 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in winning seven of eight games. During the regular season, he passed for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Manning has said he’s returning to Texas for his junior season in 2026. Two items on next season’s agenda will be first and foremost in Austin — qualifying for the CFP and getting Manning into the Heisman Trophy running. “We have to attack this off-season, getting these new guys, whether it’s the high school guys or portal guys and keep our guys, attack winter workouts and continue to be better leaders and get this thing going,” Manning said. “The standard is the standard at Texas. Got to keep it going and have a good 2026.”

(Austin Meek) Texas-Michigan Citrus Bowl takeaways: Arch Manning runs wild, Bryce Underwood throws 3 picks

ORLANDO, Fla. — Texas beat Michigan 41-27 in a Citrus Bowl matchup between teams trying to set the table for 2026. Texas quarterback Arch Manning capped his late-season surge by completing 21 of 34 passes for 221 yards and rushing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. After a rough start to the season, Manning led the No. 13 Longhorns (10-3) to seven wins in their final eight games, capped by the bowl victory.

With new Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham looking on, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood went 23 of 42 for 199 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Michigan (9-4) hired Whittingham on Friday to replace Sherrone Moore, who was fired Dec. 10 for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and arrested following an incident later that day. Biff Poggi was Michigan’s interim coach in the bowl game. Here are our takeaways.

Manning wins the QB duel

Much of the pregame build-up was about the quarterbacks. After dueling for three quarters, Underwood and Manning went in drastically different directions in the fourth quarter. Manning made his best plays late in the game, including a 60-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard touchdown pass that he floated perfectly over the shoulder of receiver Kaliq Lockett. Manning didn’t have a huge day throwing the ball, but his ability to scramble was the difference in the game. “Arch is an exceptional player,” Poggi said. “He made some throws today that I thought were, like, ‘Wow.’ When you look at him on the field, he’s big and strong, but I had no idea he was as athletic as he is. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Underwood hit some big throws, including a toe-dragging touchdown to Kendrick Bell and another to Andrew Marsh. He also showed his running ability with 77 yards and a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. But the interceptions doomed Michigan’s chances in the fourth quarter and turned a compelling game into a Texas romp. “I thought he had a great game,” Poggi said. “He just made a few bad decisions at the end. He’ll learn. All these things are learning things for him.”

Michigan hung tough… until the fourth quarter

Following their loss to Ohio State to end the regular season, the Wolverines endured a tumultuous month that included Moore’s firing, his arrest on charges of third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering, and revelations of behind-the-scenes turmoil. They were shorthanded in the Citrus Bowl with running back Jordan Marshall, left guard Giovanni El-Hadi and edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham among those who didn’t play.

None of that seemed to sap Michigan’s motivation. The Wolverines gave Underwood the green light to make plays with his arm and his legs, and he responded by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Underwood’s stretch for the pylon with 10:56 remaining in the fourth quarter gave Michigan a 27-24 lead, but the Wolverines fell apart from there. Underwood threw interceptions to end back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter, and Manning’s 60-yard touchdown run sealed the win for Texas.

“I thought Michigan, to their credit, had a bunch of fight in them today, too,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I think they only had three opt-outs, and that is a credit to their coaching staff and to Biff and that organization for keeping that team together through some of their adversity, too. I credit them. They showed up ready to play today.”

These teams should be in the CFP conversation next year

Manning, a redshirt sophomore, has already said he intends to return to Texas next season. Underwood met with Whittingham this week and has indicated he’ll assess his future after the season. Underwood’s bowl performance showed the good and bad of his freshman season, with a mix of impressive throws, tough runs and questionable decisions that turned into interceptions. Regardless of who’s playing quarterback for Michigan next season — Underwood as a second-year starter, or a player Michigan signs from the transfer portal — the Wolverines should have the talent to make a run at the CFP. Texas should, too.

Michigan had solid defenses the past two seasons under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who is not expected to return as part of Whittingham’s staff. But the Wolverines weren’t good enough in big moments, and those struggles surfaced again in the Citrus Bowl as Michigan’s shorthanded defense ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. Texas will also have a new defensive coordinator after firing Pete Kwiatkowski and replacing him with Will Muschamp earlier in December.

“I am thankful that I got the opportunity to coach them this season, but also gives me a lot of hope into what 2026 is going to look like, because we have a really good football team,” Sarkisian said. “We have some more players that are going to join these guys that are going to be poised for a heck of a journey next year.”

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