Ohio State HC Ryan Day Still Believes in Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning

Manning struggled against Ohio State’s impressive defense and game plan. The young gun completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 170 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception. While his stats are not overwhelmingly poor, he definitely did not pass the eye test for an elite quarterback on Saturday. 

Day’s confidence in Manning did not waver, even after his defense picked the passer apart. 

“He’s going to be a great player and is a great player,” Day said postgame. “We just felt like in Week 1, we didn’t want to beat ourselves, so we took that into consideration in everything that we did. … It’s the same thing on defense.” 

Manning was the first one to point the finger at his performance after the game. 

"Ultimately not good enough. Obviously, you don't want to start off the season 0-1," Manning said. "They're a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I got to play better for us to win."

After the loss, the internet was exploding with memes and criticisms surrounding the team and Manning, but Day’s opinion on the young quarterback is unchanged. 

“He’s going to be a great quarterback and is a tremendous talent,” Day said. “But anybody you play in that first week, you just don’t want to beat yourself, and then you go from there. He made some really good throws there in the fourth quarter, and you could you can see the talent, but give our defense credit.”

At the end of the day, Manning’s first appearance as the Longhorns’ full-time starter was against reigning National Champion and current No. 3 Ohio State on the road. No matter who the passer, it would be a daunting ask for the first start of a new era. 

Manning and the Longhorns have a chance to rebound in Week 2 when they head back to Austin to host the San Jose State Spartans. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. Central.