Texas QB Arch Manning reveals how his mom reacted to his ‘stare down’
Arch Manning’s mom wasn’t too fond of her son’s “immature” touchdown celebration on Saturday.
The touchdown — a 5-yard run by Manning — gave the University of Texas a 14-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter in its 55-0 victory over Sam Houston State University on Sept. 20, per ESPN.
On his way to the end zone, Manning shedded a tackle by Sam Houston linebacker Antavious Fish.
A clip of the touchdown shared on Texas Football’s social media account shows Manning standing over Fish, who was still on the ground, and flexing his arms as he stared him down.
Manning’s TD celebration continued on his way back to the sideline, where he was seen dapping up his coaches and teammates.
“Fire. Us. Up.” Texas Football’s social media team wrote in the caption of the video.
During Manning’s postgame interview, the 21-year-old quarterback was asked about the celebration — which was widely criticized on social media — and why he felt the need to play with so much emotion.
“Yeah, felt good to get back in the end zone. Probably a little much there,” he said of the celebration.
“My mom was pretty mad about that. A little immature, but I think it’s some built-up frustration for the past few weeks,” he added.
When asked if he thought the celebration warranted a penalty for taunting, Manning agreed.
“Yeah, the ref came up to me. I was so scared. The ref ripped my ass. I apologized to the ref. I didn’t say anything to the guy,” he replied — adding that he “plays better” when he displays that level of emotion.
Manning is the eldest son of Cooper Manning (the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and older brother of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning), per People.
Cooper Manning was a highly recruited wide receiver out of high school and one of Peyton Manning’s top targets before ending his career due to a medical diagnosis, according to FOX 8.
Arch Manning’s mom, Ellen Heidingsfelder, was a solid volleyball player and track and field athlete, per Yahoo Sports.
Arch Manning was criticized online for his ‘immature’ celebration
It didn’t take long for the internet to share itsfeelings about Arch Manning’s over-the-top celebration.
And it appears many football fans agreed with the young quarterback’s mom.
“It’s Sam Houston State — that was kind of cringey,” one football fan wrote under Texas Football’s video.
“Congrats on flexing on 0-3 Sam Houston State! He’ll be back to seeing ghosts against the SEC in no time,” another fan commented.
“He’s playing Sam Houston… I’ll be impressed when he beats a RANKED team,” a third fan wrote.
Some fans even criticized the team for hyping up the celebration on its social media page.
“Flexing on SHSU is wild. Flexing about your guy flexing on SHSU is insane,” another comment read.
“Arch should be ashamed for doing this against SHSU. Texas Football should be even more ashamed for being proud enough to post this!” another fan wrote.
Arch Manning finished the game with 309 passing yards, 11 rushing yards and five total touchdowns, per ESPN, but it came after a rough start to the season.
The young quarterback threw an interception in each of his first three games — two of which were against unranked opponents — and suffered a disappointing loss against then-No. 3 Ohio State in his season opener.
His “shaky” play to start the season resulted in fans booing him in the first half of his 27-10 victory over Texas El Paso on Sept. 13, according to ESPN.
Arch Manning finished that game with just 114 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added two rushing touchdowns, but fans were noticeably upset over his lack of passing prowess.
“I’ve got to play better,” he said after the game, per ESPN. “A lot of quarterbacks — a lot of players — want to be great. I know I’m better than this.”
Texas’ schedule doesn’t get any easier in the near future. The Longhorns play at Florida on Oct. 4 and against No. 7 Oklahoma one week later — with three more currently ranked opponents in November.
