Don’t overreact, Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns are just fine

Week 1 brought many upsets. Alabama lost to Florida State. LSU defeated Clemson. Miami beat Notre Dame. The big headline, however, was the No. 1 team going down after just four quarters of football. And to not many people’s surprise, Arch Manning was rapidly receiving criticism. 

The expectations could not have been any higher. Arch Manning, a redshirt sophomore, facing the reigning champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the Horseshoe, was never destined to turn out great. Manning met that harsh reality in a 14-7 opening loss. 

Following the subpar performance where Manning tossed for only 170 yards, 1 touchdown, and an interception, many fans dropped their high hopes in the former five-star. Today, Manning showcased his potential, giving fans a glimpse of what he can be. 

Week 2 certainly brought out a different side of Arch Manning. The No. 7 Texas Longhorns defeated San Jose State 38-7, and the talent of Arch Manning was made known. 

"I thought he had a really good game today. I thought he took advantage of some balls down the field; lesson learned on a protection breakdown, forcing the ball. We’re going to have some of those growing pains with him. But I thought he used his legs with the touchdown, threw the ball down the field well, and created some explosive plays."

Steve Sarkisian

Manning finished the day completing 19-30 pass attempts, tossing four touchdowns for 295 yards, while adding 23 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The Texas-native made only his third-career start at Texas’ home field and tied a career-high in passing touchdowns.

It was a highly impressive home debut for Manning, who made plays all over the field. Manning escaped pressure out of the pocket and found his targets. Most notably, it was Parker Livingstone who racked up 4 receptions for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tight end Jack Endries had 2 receptions for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

When asked about how Manning thought he played, he replied, “Once again, not very good. But we know we gotta clean up a lot of things. Some guys made some plays, though, so that’s good. But I was a little sloppy. I thought I made some more plays and attacked them more, but it was just sloppy all around.

Sounds like a very mature answer, nevertheless, it was one of the better quarterback performances of the day. The competition might not be too assuming, but Manning still put forth a solid bounce-back. Ultimately, the most encouraging sight for any young quarterback is improvement from week to week. 

Texas was considered one of the most dangerous offenses in college football coming into the season, and eventually, the wheels will get off the ground. The hype was overwhelming; however, there is no reason not to believe in Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian, and Texas. Time after time, the Longhorns have stepped up to the plate and answered the call in the midst of adversity. 

These small signs of improvement should be seen as encouragement rather than further criticism. Of course, the pressure will always be intact, but the talent is just beginning to shine. Manning was thrown into the fire against Ohio State, and that is only now beginning to produce success. 

If there is one thing we have learned about Texas, it’s that Arch Manning is here to stay, and the Longhorns’ offense is only beginning to heat up. Over the next two weeks, Texas will face UTEP and Sam Houston before embarking upon the SEC gauntlet. There should be much optimism for Manning to continue to improve and be equipped for the ranked opponents on the horizon. 

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