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Texas wins the Cheez-It ReliaQuest Bowl

Dec 31, 2025 | 6:38 PM
Arch Manning

Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

Texas capped off an up and down season with an emphatic 41-27 win over Michigan. The Longhorns remain unbeaten all-time against the Wolverines. 

The Story 

Texas expected to end their season in the state of Florida back in August. A lot of people did. They just assumed it would be in Miami for the national championship game and not the Cheez-It ReliaQuest Bowl in Orlando. It may not have been the ending they wanted for their season, but it was a great ending nonetheless. 

Texas battled back from a first half deficit and finished with their third consecutive ten win season under Steve Sarkisian. 

It wasn’t pretty, and Michigan gave Texas fits at times in the first half taking a 17-10 lead in the second quarter. The Longhorns battled back behind Arch Manning who had one of his best games of his career and was named Cheez-It ReliaQuest Bowl MVP. Manning finished with 376 yards of offense and 155 rushing yards along with four touchdowns. 

Both sides were playing with double digit numbers of opt-outs and it showed. The two teams combined for 21 penalties and four turnovers. Michigan took a 27-24 early in the fourth quarter, but Texas was able to score 17 unanswered points and force three interceptions from freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood to close out the game. 

The Stats 

3-6: The SEC is now 3-6 in bowl games. 

376: Arch Manning finished with 376 yards, the second most of any game he had all season. 

155: Arch Manning rushed for 155 yards against Michigan. That’s roughly 64 percent of what his season total was in the first 12 games combined (244). 

The Social Media Reaction 

Chris Marler

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