Texas quarterback Arch Manning opened the 2026 college football season with 305 passing yards and four touchdowns in leading No. 5 Texas to a 59-7 win over Texas State on Saturday.
However, the Longhorns did not leave their season opener completely unscathed. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian revealed after the victory that freshman running back Derrek Cooper suffered a first-half ankle injury and will require further evaluation.
Cooper suffered the injury on a one-yard run early in the second quarter. He went to the locker room with trainers and later returned to the sideline wearing a walking boot on his right foot, according to Zach Dimmitt.
“We’ll monitor that thing and see what that looks like moving forward,” Sarkisian said.
The freshman rusher finished his college debut with six yards on two carries. Cooper entered the season as Texas’ third-string running back after beating out three older players for the role behind Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown.
Cooper’s injury comes immediately before a major early-season test for the Longhorns, as No. 1 Ohio State will visit Austin in Week 2 after beating Ball State 56-3 in its opener.
All of that said, Texas got an encouraging performance from the most important player on the team. Manning reached his 305 yards and four touchdowns on a 20-of-27 performance, tossing just one interception before leaving midway through the third quarter with the Longhorns leading 42-7.
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Sarkisian praised Manning’s overall efficiency despite identifying a few mistakes from his passer.
“All in all, I thought he was really efficient,” Sarkisian said. “I thought that he’s human; there are a couple misreads, but he’s over 300 yards, four touchdowns, he managed the game really well and was very efficient.”
Smothers and Brown combined for 143 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against Texas State, giving Texas options in the backfield in case Cooper is forced to miss time.
Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2, with Cooper’s availability hinging on his rehab progress during the week.
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