Sarkisian Tells How Arch Manning Impressed Him in Practices Before Red River Rivalry

 Arch Manning has been having a rough season, that’s no secret. But there’s been plenty of outside noise, pressure and mistakes that he’s been having to deal with after a rough start to the season.

His 16-29 263-yard passing performance in the loss to Florida the week prior to the Red River Rivalry victory left Manning a little banged up due to all the hits he took, but also motivated after a second loss and lots of talk.

After the 23-6 defeat of the No. 6-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, head coach Steve Sarkisian talked about how Manning left him impressed with how he handled preparation for the Sooners after a rough loss.

“I said this to the team Friday before we left to come to Dallas. You know, Arch took a lot of hits last week,” Sarkisian said. “And the biggest thing that impressed me this week about his game, he didn’t miss one rep of practice this week. He came back Monday, and he was not 100%; he was beat up, but he took every rep. And I think coming out of a game like that, you earn the respect of your teammates of that’s the toughness you got to have, and that’s the preparation that you have to have.”

The preparation paid off for Manning in the end, as he was able to silence the talk surrounding him and his team after accumulating 200 total yards and a touchdown while throwing for a 77% completion percentage.

Manning showed maturity and poise, and it led him to success on Saturday. Fans and coaches saw a Manning who was capable of making the plays when they were needed, which led to third-down conversions and a win in the end.

That was something else that Sarkisian mentioned after the win, too, along with how good a teammate Manning is.

“Today, we needed him to convert third downs, and we got in more manageable third downs, but then there were some tough ones he had to convert,” Sarkisian said. “But that’s a team effort. I think so much is made about Arch; it’s like when we don’t win, it’s his fault. But when we do win, everybody praises Arch. We’re a team, and Arch will be the first one to tell you that. He’s an awesome teammate. He works hard. He wants everybody else to do well around him, because that’s what the teams do. You win as a team, you lose as a team, and I think that we’re becoming more and more of a team that way, with the right type of grit that you have to have in the SEC.”

Sarkisian and Texas will shift their focus to the Kentucky Wildcats, whom the Longhorns will have to face in Lexington in their third game in a row away from home on Saturday, and hope that Manning will continue to play with toughness and grit.