ORLANDO, Fla. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian wasn’t sure what to expect in the Citrus Bowl without nine starters, due to injuries or the transfer portal. He was thrilled to see Christian Carter and Kaliq Lockett make big plays Wednesday in a 41-27 win over No. 18 Michigan.
Of course, he had quarterback Arch Manning. Ultimately, that was all that mattered.
Manning dominated the Citrus Bowl with his arm and legs. His performance included a decisive 60-yard scoring run that helped No. 14 Texas achieve another 10-win season.
He passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns. One touchdown was a perfectly placed 30-yard pass to Kaliq Lockett, who played more because of an injury.
Manning also rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He converted two fourth downs, including a 19-yard run that set up a short TD by Christian Carter, who started because the top three running backs for Texas are entering the portal.
Carter ran for 105 yards on 20 carries.
“We played without nine starters,” Sarkisian said. “And it created great opportunities. That’s the culture we have here.”
Texas (10-3) moved past its disappointment of missing the College Football Playoffs while having only 20 scholarship players available in practice. The strong performance raised optimism for a team that began the year as the preseason No. 1 in the AP poll.
Manning was an obvious choice for Citrus Bowl MVP, especially after his 60-yard run gave the Longhorns a 38-27 lead, the first time either team led by more than one score.
His performance resembled that of another No. 16 in orange — uncle Peyton Manning at Tennessee. Peyton threw for 408 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in a Citrus Bowl win over Northwestern in 1997.
“No disrespect to the Citrus Bowl, I think he was here twice,” Manning said of Uncle Peyton. “I’m not trying to come back again.”
This game ended a tough month for Michigan. Coach Sherrone Moore was fired three weeks ago for having an affair with a staff member. He was later arrested and charged with three crimes for breaking into the woman’s home.
Michigan is also on NCAA probation for recruiting violations, and the school said the penalties will lead to a $30 million loss.
Longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was hired to replace Moore.
Biff Poggi lost for the first time as Michigan’s interim coach. He coached wins over Nebraska and Central Michigan while Moore served a two-game suspension related to the 2023 sign-stealing scandal. Poggi said he would not return to Michigan under Whittingham.
“I thought the kids played hard,” Poggi said. “This isn’t a rebuild at all. That would be short-changing the kids. I think coach Whittingham is going to do a fantastic job. He will find a very full cupboard, a bunch of really willing kids who are great.”
Whittingham, who arrived in Orlando on Saturday to begin meeting with players, watched from the box at the Citrus Bowl. He takes over a Michigan team (9-4) that had a strong running game and played tough defense, despite missing its top two defenders who opted out.
But there was no answer for Manning, who accounted for about 80% of the Longhorns’ offense.
Bryce Underwood, Michigan’s freshman quarterback, kept the Wolverines in the game until two late interceptions sealed their fate. He completed 23 of 42 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, along with three interceptions in the final 18 minutes.
Underwood, who rushed for 77 yards, scored on a 5-yard run by diving to touch the pylon, giving Michigan its last lead at 27-24 with just under 11 minutes to go. However, he threw an interception to Ty’Anthony Smith after Texas took the lead, and Smith snagged another pick along the sideline on the next drive.
The Takeaway
Michigan: Bryson Kuzdzal provided strength in the running game with 82 tough yards on 20 carries. He converted first downs on fourth and short three times. Leading receiver Andrew Marsh managed only three catches for 10 yards, but he averaged 36 yards on four kickoff returns.
Texas: While Manning led the charge for the Longhorns, they also got great production from Clark, a freshman, who had only 35 receptions this season before the Citrus Bowl.
Too much yellow
The field looked like it was covered with Cheez-It crackers from the bowl sponsor. Michigan and Texas combined for 21 penalties. The most damaging for Michigan was a blindside block on a second-and-2 from the Texas 10. Underwood threw an interception two plays later.
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