It’s hard not to acknowledge the obvious fact that bowl season is not what it once was. The days of a team’s stars riding it out with their brothers in arms for one last game in a “meaningless bowl” are reserved for the collective memory of the past.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun and be entertained with bowl games.
Some stars, like Antony Hill Jr., Michael Taaffe and Ethan Burke, have departed for greener pastures. Others put their names in the transfer portal in the hope of finding a new place to call home for their athletic careers.
But the few that remained and stayed the course played with their hearts on their sleeves in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Texas topped the Michigan Wolverines 41-27 for one last thrilling performance to close the 2025 season.
“We had just about a little over 20 players that are no longer on our team,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “That doesn’t mean that this game doesn’t matter to these guys, but there’s just new faces.”
Sophomore quarterback Arch Manning was simply thrilling and, just like his Uncle Peyton, gave an all-time performance in the Citrus Bowl. Manning tossed for 221 yards and two touchdowns, but it was his trademark running ability that put Texas over the top.
The Longhorns’ offense sat idle for the majority of the third quarter, watching the Wolverines’ methodical offense eat up time until 9:33 minutes of the clock remained before they could get another shot.
Set up on the Michigan 23-yard line following a pass interference call on freshman receiver Daylan McCutcheon in the endzone, Manning, who already had a big pickup taken off the board earlier in the drive, galloped into the endzone for a 23-yard score to regain the lead at 24-20.
“We had a month of preparation before this and (got) new guys acclimated,” Manning said. “It was cool to cap it off the way we did.”
Sophomore linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith was injured during the Longhorns’ defense redzone stand during Michigan freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood’s rushing touchdown. He was sitting on the field during almost the entirety of the lengthy touchdown review.
Smith returned to the field on the next defensive series and came up with a major interception, getting in the way of Underwood’s pass and stalling out a Michigan unit that was having ease against a depleted Longhorn defense.
Tired from defending the Longhorns’ touchdown drive, the Wolverines were completely taken off guard by Manning’s quarterback keeper.
Michigan took the bait on the fake to redshirt freshman running back Christian Clark. Manning had nothing but daylight ahead of him, darting toward the endzone untouched for a 60-yard rushing touchdown to put Texas up by two possessions late in the fourth quarter.
With his four total touchdowns in the game, Manning was named Citrus Bowl MVP, an honor that Peyton Manning won in the 1997 edition.
“Nothing against the Citrus Bowl, but I think he played it twice. I don’t want to have to play it twice,” Manning said.
Smith also picked up a second interception of the game to effectively seal the Longhorns’ victory over the Wolverines.
“This team had its own adversity this season, but the real, true, unique competitors rise up to every challenge that they’re faced with, and that’s what this team did today,” Sarkisian said.
Texas has a lot of retooling to undertake heading into the offseason, with nine starters opting out of the bowl. There are many holes to fill to maintain the standard that has been built during Sarkisian’s tenure as the Longhorns’ head coach, but for a Texas team missing over 20 scholarship players, the taste of tonight’s victory is nothing but sweet.
