It’s officially been two decades since Texas last lifted a national title, and the Longhorns continue to feel every bit of that wait. Even after landing the latest member of football’s royal family in Arch Manning, the program has yet to recapture its seemingly forgotten form.
Advertisement
Nevertheless, should Manning hope to establish his own claim to being the best quarterback in the family, he’ll have to emulate a level of success that Texas hasn’t seen since the likes of Vince Young. According to college football analyst R.J. Young, the only way that the Longhorns can recapture the title is with a heroic effort from the 21-year-old prospect.
R.J believes that man, who shares the same last name with him, should have perhaps been awarded with the Heisman trophy for putting Texas “on his back” in 2005.
“Vince Young really was the chef in the kitchen making it happen for Texas. It’s not just that Vince Young passed for 3,000 yards, it’s that he also rushed for 1,000 yards and had 38 total TDs with just 10 picks. To put that into perspective, there isn’t a 1,000+ yard receiver on that team… or a 1,000+ yard rusher… It was the Vince Young show,” R.J said on Adapt and Respond.
Even though the Longhorns are currently listed as the betting favorites to take home the national championship, R.J suggested that there is a formula that needs to be followed in order to make good on those odds. Unfortunately, for both Manning and his program, their challenges are as clearly defined as their goals.
Either way, Texas has a lot of questions to answer, regardless of who wins what.
“One, you’re going to have to play a couple more games, at a minimum. 2005 Texas went 13-0, they had to play 13 games, they won all 13 of them… Imagine that Texas needs to play against Georgia, against Notre Dame, against Ohio State… any of the teams that you’d pick to play in the national championship this year.
“Would they be able to win and what would it take? I think if Arch is a 3,000+ and 1,000+ guy, not only does he win the Heisman trophy, I’m going to have real questions about just how good the rest of that roster needed to be.”
From his last name to his five-star rating as a high schooler, Manning certainly has all of the dressings and trimmings of the next big thing. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 212 pounds, he certainly has a frame that’s capable of shouldering those expectations.
Nevertheless, he’s now expected to prove it after competing in just 12 games throughout the past two calendar years. Thankfully, his career metrics, such as a pass completion percentage of 66.3% and a passer efficiency rating of 179, suggest that he’s more than capable.
Matthew Golden may have been lost to the NFL Draft, but his team still features an ample amount of talent. Suffice to say, Manning has an adequate supporting cast, meaning that the Longhorns’ championship odds rest predominantly in his hands.
Then again, if there was ever a quarterback who could manage to win a title in his first full season as a starter, it’s likely the one who was raised and mentored by a pair of Super Bowl champions.
