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What if Texas is better with Matthew Caldwell, not Arch Manning, playing QB?
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- What if Texas is better with Matthew Caldwell, not Arch Manning, playing QB?
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Arch Manning is in concussion protocol and may not play this weekend for Texas .
Now, the reality: that may not be such a bad thing for the Longhorns .
Whatever you think of Manning and his Ron Powlus ride as the Texas quarterback (Google it, kids), this is no time for the weak at heart. The calendar is moving to November — and the games to remember.
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So if that means Matthew Caldwell — the nobody to center stage Texas backup quarterback — has to play against No. 11 Vanderbilt , should it really be that concerning?
What if — hold onto your 10-gallon hats, everyone — Caldwell plays better than Manning has all season and the Longhorns win?
"The moment's not too big for him," says Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
Which is the opposite of what we've seen from Manning for a majority of his uneven first season as a starter.
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To be fair to Manning, he hasn't had much help from a leaky offensive line, and receivers aren't exactly running free in the secondary and making tough catches. The throw game is a three-pronged, meticulous machine: protection, throwing on time and with anticipation, and receivers getting open and catching the ball.
If any of those three steps are compromised for any reason, the play can blow up.
So before we bury Manning for his inconsistent play in this ballyhooed framework of the preseason No. 1 ranking, the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft all rolled into one, cut him some slack. Like he said numerous times, he never asked for any of this.
And that's where we drop a pin in this story.
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Because I want a guy playing the most important position on the field who asks for it. Who wants it all, who thrives in the pressure of the moment and doesn't back down.
If it doesn't work, it doesn't work — at least he went down swinging.
Matthew Caldwell #18 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates with Christian Clark #6 of the Texas Longhorns after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Starkville, Mississippi.
It is here where we reintroduce Caldwell, and his rags to sitting behind the riches college football career. Got his start at Jacksonville State in tiny Jacksonville, Ala. (pop., 14,651), known more for its overpriced hotels on race day in Talladega than a college football power.
When that didn't work, he left for FCS Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, N.C. (pop., 4,759) and spent two seasons as a backup before transferring to Troy in Troy, Ala. (pop., 17,341). Spent a season with the Trojans , and started the final five games of the season.
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Then he got a call this spring from Sarkisian to spend his final season as the backup to the next big thing in college football. In the largest fishbowl in college football (pop., the heart of Texas).
The next thing you know, he's thrown into an overtime game against Mississippi State, after Texas had rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter, and after Manning got hit in the head while scrambling on the first play of overtime.
Next play: run for seven yards.
Next play: false start, Texas ― because Caldwell is busy getting players lined up correctly for what looks like another isolation run to protect the backup quarterback, and the cadence isn't the same, and my god, this is a mess.
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Next play, screw it, let's chuck it in the end zone — and Caldwell tosses a perfectly thrown fade to Emmett Mosley for the game winning points.
Piece of cake.
"He's played well every time that we've put him in the game," Sarkisian said. "What gives me confidence is who he's been, so I feel very comfortable with Matt whenever he's in the ballgame."
Look, no team likes to lose the starting quarterback two months into the season, with or without the Manning name. This is when Texas, which has struggled all season to find any cohesive rhythm, needs to find a groove and use wins over Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M as a springboard to the College Football Playoff.
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You want the story of the season? Here it is.
And it has nothing to do with NIL deals or Heismans or national titles or the NFL draft.
If Caldwell plays against Vanderbilt (that's still up for debate) and plays well in an upset of the Commodores, does Sarkisian go back to Manning? There's only one way out of this thud of a season: a November to remember.
Could Sarkisian actually put the season in the hands of a backup quarterback by way of Jacksonville State/Gardner-Webb/Troy, who has thrown all of 11 passes in Texas uniform — and only two against Power conference teams?
To be fair to Caldwell (like we're trying to be fair to Manning), he was inserted into two wild environments, and made two perfect throws. The touchdown against Mississippi State (that saved the season), and a beautifully-executed, second-level throw to Ryan Wingo on the last drive of the loss at Florida .
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"He's earned the respect of his teammates," Sarkisian said. "They respect the fact that he's ready."
That may not be such a bad thing after all.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Texas backup Matthew Caldwell be better than Arch Manning?
