David Pollack Sends Message to Texas Amid Arch Manning Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 11:46 AM ET

As we enter Week 4 of the college football season, the Texas Longhorns sit at 2-1 after dropping the opener at No. 1 Ohio State and posting wins over San Jose State and UTEP.

Despite back-to-back double-digit wins, criticism of Arch Manning's play has been the biggest headline as the Longhorns have fallen from the preseason No. 1 ranking to No. 8, per The Associated Press.

On Tuesday's episode of the "See Ball Get Ball" podcast, analyst David Pollack highlighted Manning's personnel struggles and noticeable gaps within the team.

Pollack noted how Matthew Golden’s departure and the mixed availability of Ryan Wingo, Quintrevion Wisner, CJ Baxter and DeAndre Moore Jr. have made it "not as easy" for Manning.

He also stressed that Texas must re-establish a strong running attack to relieve Manning, who "winced when he throws the football" and "it’s been painful to watch" so far this season.

In Saturday’s 27–10 victory against UTEP, Manning completed 11-of-25 passes for 114 yards, rushed for 51 more, scored twice on the ground and threw one touchdown against one interception.

Over three games, Manning is completing just 55.3% of his throws and averaging 6.8 yards per attempt, down from 10.4 yards per attempt in his limited action a season ago.

However, criticism of Manning’s play has largely grown after two sub-350-yard outputs in three contests, a steep drop from last year’s 437.5 yards per game for Texas.

Longhorns' fans even booed several of his misfires during the UTEP game and Manning himself has acknowledged the struggles, saying "I’ve got to play better" and suggesting the issues are as much mental as physical.

As the Longhorns gear up for an SEC gauntlet that begins on Oct. 4 in Gainesville against the Florida Gators, the urgency is mounting for Manning, who entered the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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