Texas slogged through a shaky first half against UTEP , leading 7-3 at the break after Arch Manning opened the scoring with a 2-yard keeper to cap a 9-play, 53-yard drive at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. The rhythm wasn’t there through the air, and the game script reflected it. Punts, short fields, and a defense-led grind left the margin uncomfortably thin heading into halftime, putting the focus on whether the offense could settle in after the break and stack clean possessions.

By intermission, the stat line told the story of the struggle and the narrow edge. Manning’s first half featured a 5-for-16 passing line for 69 yards with an interception, offset by timely legs and the early goal-line keeper that set the tone for how Texas would need to score while the passing game

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