Football
Texas QB Arch Manning has struggled through three games this season, throwing just six touchdowns with three interceptions. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
(Tim Warner via Getty Images)
So, when exactly are we going to see the Arch Manning who was supposed to be the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite and lead Texas to a national title?
Does that guy even exist?
Maybe these words will look silly in December and January, but we are 25 percent of the way through the college football regular season and the Arch Experience has been more underwhelming and unimpressive than even his biggest skeptics could have predicted a few weeks ago.
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Sure, No. 7 Texas beat UTEP 27-10 on Saturday. The outcome was never in doubt. For the 2-1 Longhorns, the season doesn’t really start until Oct. 4 when they travel to Florida and then come back a week later and play No. 13 Oklahoma. At that point, they will either be firmly in the driver’s seat for a College Football Playoff berth or widely mocked as the nation’s most disappointing team.
Honestly, after watching the way Manning played Saturday, the smart money would be on the latter.
Though the preseason expectations for Manning were obviously way too aggressive given his lack of starting experience and Texas breaking in a new offensive line, he is not a rookie. This is his third year in the Longhorns’ program. Maybe you can forgive a faceplant in Week 1 on the road against Ohio State, but shouldn’t there be some visible progress by Week 3 against UTEP?
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Sorry, but it just wasn’t there.
Manning’s passing numbers were ugly: 11-of-25 passing, 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But the visual impact of that game was even worse.
He held the ball too long. He made some wobbly throws. He seemed jumpy and unsure about what to do in the pocket. It looks like his confidence has been shaken, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has responded by making the offense more conservative so that Manning isn’t being asked to do too much.
That might be enough against UTEP, but it’s not going win a national championship.
Go ahead and remove any Heisman references from the conversation. Manning is light years from playing at that level. The question now is whether he’s even good enough to get Texas to the CFP.
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And maybe now we understand why the Longhorns wouldn’t play him last season, even when it was obvious that some of Quinn Ewers’ body parts were barely attached to their joints.
Manning wasn’t ready then, and he may not be ready now.
UTEP, by the way, gave up 28 points in a loss to Utah State in its season opener. Texas could only manage 27 in a game where Manning threw 10 straight incompletions and got booed late in the first half.
“I told Arch before the season, you’ve never really been a QB until they boo you,” Sarkisian told the SEC Network at halftime. “He got booed in the first half, now he can start playing.”
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OK, but … nothing much changed in the second half.
Texas could move the ball a little bit when Manning just kept it and ran, which he did nine times for 51 yards. But we all know that’s not going to work against quality SEC opponents when he doesn’t present a legitimate threat to throw the ball downfield.
Sure, it’s a long season and Manning deserves time to get comfortable in his new starting role. But at this point, he’s neither a young college quarterback nor someone who lacks playing experience. After three full games with this team, he needs to make a leap.
That was obvious in Texas’ underwhelming performance Saturday and Manning’s struggles to generate any positive plays in the passing game.
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So far, we’re simply not getting the quarterback that was advertised by his name, his pedigree and Texas’ public confidence in his abilities. If that doesn’t happen for Manning — and soon — Texas is going to fall off the national radar as quickly as any preseason No. 1 in recent memory.
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