Desmond Howard calls out ESPN coworkers over Arch Manning coverage

The Texas Longhorns fell short against Ohio State in a 14-7 defensive battle on Week 1 Saturday, which left ESPN commentators all over the map with their reactions to the play of quarterback Arch Manning.

On social media, sharp criticisms of Manning prevailed as casual fans ruthlessly went in on the Longhorn QB for missing targets all day long while failing to get Texas on the scoreboard until later the fourth quarter. However, Manning has received more support from the college football media, who were hesitant to destroy the redshirt sophomore after a one-possession loss at the home of the defending national champions.

ESPN analyst and College GameDay member Desmond Howard doesn't understand where all the Arch Manning defenders are coming from in regards to his performance Saturday. He joined the Rich Eisen Show this week to call out the folks who he believes aren't speaking truth on Arch Manning.

"People don't want to really criticize him as harshly because he is a Manning and they want to stay in good favor with the Mannings, right?" said Howard. "This is a big name in our sport."

Instead of direct critiques, Howard noticed a lot of media members grasping at excuses for the poor play.

"So what they do is they make it seem like Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator for Ohio State, just called this brilliant game that kept Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning off balance for four whole quarters," Howard explained. "Now, Matt Patricia did call a very good game; there's no doubt about that."

From his seat on the couch watching tape, Howard saw a well-called defensive game plan but also noticed plenty of unforced errors by Arch Manning himself.

"I saw guys on SportsCenter and other shows pulling like three plays and showing how he may have confused Arch Manning with a look or a secondary switch at the last minute," Howard continued. "I'm watching the film, and I can show you 10 to 12 plays where guys were running wide open and he either just didn't hit them with the ball or he didn't see these guys and it wasn't that complex or that complicated."

Desmond Howard certainly doesn't grant Arch Manning the benefit of the doubt he believes his colleagues have. After all, the Texas QB didn't have much high-level college football experience coming into the 2025 season.

"He struggled the way I thought he would struggle," Howard added. "Because even though he's been in the system for three years, you look at him, he's never really played in these meaningful games. So the hype was just blown way out of proportion for Arch Manning."