Arch Manning thought an AI edit of his football coach hitting a longtime ESPN reporter after their wild comeback win over Ohio State on Saturday night was hilarious.
The Texas quarterback was asked on Monday if he saw any edits on social media after the Longhorns rallied to knock off No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Saturday night in Austin. Quickly, he remembered a fake video that showed Texas coach Steve Sarkisian slapping longtime ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe.
Manning thought the fake video, which depicted a man hitting a woman, was incredibly funny.
“I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview. Have y’all seen that one?” Manning said, laughing. “That’s a good one. Of him slapping Holly Rowe? It’s hilarious.”
“I saw the AI Edit of (Sark) slapping Holly Rowe.”
I asked Arch Manning if he’d seen any edits on TikTok or Twitter after the game, and his answer is gold. pic.twitter.com/70FnNCVEHb
— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) September 14, 2026
Not great.
The fake video came after an awkward moment between Rowe, who has been an ESPN staple for decades, and Sarkisian after the game on Saturday night. Sarkisian essentially blew her off while she was trying to talk to him live.
“That’s called Texas fight! That’s called Texas fight! Hook ‘em!” Sarkisian yelled into the mic before just walking away from Rowe, completely ignoring her question. Rowe looked, understandably, very frustrated.
The Steve Sarkisian postgame interview with Holly Rowe was quite brief. https://t.co/TWV6JrA9Ropic.twitter.com/xo0z8oidMN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 13, 2026
ESPN’s Laura Rutledge also tried to talk to Sarkisian at halftime at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, but that interview was derailed due to technical difficulties.
Manning went 23-of-37 for 195 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win, which vaulted the Longhorns to No. 1 in the country. They rallied back from a 23-3 deficit in the second half, absolutely stunning the Buckeyes.
While Manning pulled off the comeback win, one of the best in recent Longhorns memory, his comments on Monday about a fake video of his football coach hitting a woman reporter for trying to do her job were undoubtedly very poor. It’s a rough look in the wake of a high for the program.
But based on the reaction in the room when Manning was laughing about it, it doesn’t seem likely that anything will come of it.