Arch Manning leads Texas to 55-0 rout of Sam Houston

AUSTIN, Texas Arch Manning vowed this week to play looser and regain his form, and the Texas Longhorns quarterback delivered the sharpest performance of his season on Saturday night, passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two scores in a 55-0 rout of Sam Houston State at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Manning completed 18 of 21 passes and left midway through the third quarter with Texas comfortably in command, giving the beleaguered starter a clear confidence boost ahead of a stretch of Southeastern Conference play.

Manning entered the weekend under intense scrutiny after a rocky start to his first season as Texas’ full-time starter. Through three games he had completed just 55.3 percent of his passes for 579 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, and he was booed by some fans during a 27-10 victory over UTEP. Those struggles, and an opening loss at Ohio State, prompted public questions about his mechanics and temperament and raised fresh debate about whether the preseason hype surrounding the Manning name had been overblown.

Two days before facing Sam Houston State, Manning acknowledged the criticism and called his problems more mental...