It’s fair to say that Arch Manning’s start to this college season has been somewhat disastrous. He’s thrown 6 TDs to 3 INTs, while rushing for 3 TDs on the ground, which doesn’t look bad on paper. But the lack of accuracy, which is being attributed to poor mechanics, and a 49.6 QB rating tells an entirely different story.
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Not only that, but the Texas Longhorns as a team have limped to a 2-1 start with Manning at the helm. It began with an anticlimactic 14-7 loss at Ohio State, where the highly touted QB threw for just 170 yards. The team rebounded in Week 2, spanking San Jose State 38-7, with Arch tossing 4 TDs. Many thought he’d take off after that.
However, Manning stumbled again this past week, this time against the UTEP Miners. The Longhorns won 27-10, but were only up 7-3 late in the first half. At one point, Arch threw 10 straight incompletions and was booed off the field. Now, analysts are trying to unpack how things have gone so wrong for the hyped up 5-star recruit.
When Andy Staples broke down the situation, he was shocked by Manning’s return on investment so far.
“I just, I never thought that bad was on the menu for him. I thought it’d be average, but that was mostly because of the talent around him. Watching some of that UTEP game, it does feel like it’s mental. It feels like the yips almost, because these are easy throws,” Staples reasoned on Pardon My Take.
It does indeed feel somewhat mental for Manning. He went 11/25 against UTEP and was missing some easy throws at times. He just doesn’t look like he’s all that confident in his abilities right now, and he needs to fix it fast.
After all, the Longhorns have a successor that they’re eying for Arch already. So, if he doesn’t shape up quickly, this could be his first and only season starting at Texas.
“Dia Bell, Raja Bell’s son, is the big-time recruit who’s coming next year to Texas. But he’s the successor to Arch. The idea is that Arch is going to start this year and next year. So, if he does indeed stink… Stink wasn’t on the menu. 5 interceptions wasn’t on the menu,” Staples added.
It’s not just future competition that Manning has to worry about, either. They also have a backup option already on the roster who is ready and waiting to make an impact. Matthew Caldwell is a transfer from Troy and is everything Manning isn’t.
Caldwell is a 0-star recruit walk-on from Jacksonville State who’s played for 3 different schools. Ironically, he even earned the “Manning Star of the Week” last season for his performance against Georgia Southern. He’s almost like an evil villain if Arch were the hero of a story.
However, some fans believe that because of Manning’s constant wincing to start the season after every throw, he’s been injured. Staples went on to say that he doesn’t think Arch is hurt; it’s just him playing poorly and making faces. Now, the analyst believes that we need to come around to the idea that he might just “stink” as a QB.
“That’s not the quarterback you envisioned when this Manning family scion came out of New Orleans to go to Texas. So, I think we all have to wrap our brains around an idea. The idea of Arch and the actual Arch are two different things.”
Well, that happened quickly. It felt like we were just parading Manning and Texas around as preseason champs of college football. He was a betting favorite for the Heisman Award even. But an uninspiring start against two poor teams has immediately taken the rose-colored goggles off anyone watching the sport.
At the end of the day, though, Arch is going to get a long leash to figure this out. He’s the highest-paid player in college sports, and still has a ton of potential. It hasn’t been the start that he or Longhorn fans have envisioned, but there are still plenty of big games on the schedule to prove why he was so highly recruited.
So, let’s calm down a bit; it’s only been 3 games. Yet, with his NIL valuation, the criticism does feel justified now more than ever.
