Scrutinized Arch Manning faces SEC test
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Arch Manning leaves the field after a 14-7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in August. Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Arch Manning, once the best schoolboy quarterback in the country, is for the moment another 21-year-old trying to find his footing.
Why it matters: The highly vaunted University of Texas quarterback has had an uneven season, his first as No. 1 on the depth chart, leading some fans to wonder whether he's got the right stuff.
Driving the news: The 3-1 Longhorns, ranked ninth nationally, open SEC competition on Saturday against 1-3 Florida in Gainesville, at 2:30pm.
- The Longhorns' three wins came against unranked teams.
- Assuming they can bulldoze Florida, the Longhorns' big test comes Oct. 11, against fifth-ranked Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The big picture: No one questions Manning's talent and arm strength.
Yes, but: During one stretch against UT-El Paso — not known as a defensive superpower — Manning threw 10 straight incompletions.
- Longhorns fans booed.
What they're saying: "I don't know if it's the yips ... but what I do know is that mechanically there are a lot of things wrong with his throwing motion, from his feet not being in the right spot to his arm angle not being in the right spot," Chase Daniel, a former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst, said on the "Dan Patrick Show" in mid-September.
- Longhorns observers have speculated Manning has played hurt — but the quarterback and head coach Steve Sarkisian have denied any injuries.
Between the lines: Arch Manning has been compared since his high school days in Louisiana with his famous uncles, Peyton and Eli.
- "He's dealing with a level of pressure that nobody else we're talking about is dealing with," one unnamed NFL scouting director told the Athletic.
By the numbers: Axios compared the first four games of this, his sophomore season, against the first four games of the sophomore seasons of his uncles.
- His completion percentage trailed his uncles' — but as a more fluid runner, he scored more rushing touchdowns.
The bottom line: There's still a lot of season left — and if the Horns can down the Sooners, Arch Manning will once again be the greatest thing since sliced bread.