Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun via Imagn Images

Steve Sarkisian Shares Strong Message on Arch Manning Amid Backlash

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 5:15 PM ET

It's put up or shut up time in Austin, Texas.

The Texas Longhorns suffered their second loss of the season to the Florida Gators last week. The game couldn't have gone any worse for Texas in every phase, and it marked one of the sloppiest performances by the Longhorns in the Steve Sarkisian era.

The coaching staff and several players are receiving a fair amount of backlash this week. Quarterback Arch Manning is taking the brunt of heat following his two-interception performance.

Although Texas' offensive line was putrid in run blocking and pass protection, Manning hasn't lived up to his five-star rating thus far. He has thrown for 1,151 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Still, Manning's head coach has a lot of confidence in him moving forward.

"I found out he's a tough dude," Sarkisian said on Monday following the Florida loss. "He fought his a-- off Saturday. Those were not ideal conditions for a quarterback to perform under. Is there a couple of throws he'd love to have back? Of course, but he stood in there and he showed a lot of contact courage taking hits, delivering the ball."

Florida Gators defensive end Tyreak Sapp (94) and linebacker Myles Graham (5) sack Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Although everything was seemingly crumbling around him, Manning kept Texas in the game until the final minute.

"There were some really impressive throws in there and he battled until the very end," Sarkisian said. "I think he learned about himself as much as we learned about him. This guy's got a lot of courage, he's got a lot of toughness. I think he gained a lot of respect from his teammates, which is a great thing."

Texas and Manning will certainly need an overall better performance against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) in Week 7. FanDuel lists Texas as the 2.5-point favorite over Oklahoma due to the Sooners likely not having quarterback John Mateer under center. Regardless, if the Longhorns even remotely have a game similar to last week then this Red River Rivalry could get ugly quickly.

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

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