The Issue With Arch

 Quarterback Arch Manning entered the season as a Heisman favorite, and now, he’s not even in the conversation anymore as the Longhorns are 3-2 and unranked after a loss to Florida on Saturday.

The issue with Manning stems from the fact that he has been unable to perform at a consistently decent level. It’s not that he’s had poor performances and struggles; that happens with every quarterback.

First of all, it is essential to acknowledge the external pressure he has faced since entering college. It’s been something out of his control, and it’s something that has led to excessive negativity surrounding his play when something goes wrong.

Sarkisian addressed the extensive expectations set around Manning after the loss to Ohio State to open the season.

“For Arch [Manning], the expectations were out of control on the outside,” Sarkisian said. “I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him. That’s one chapter. There’s a lot to hold onto on what the future is going to look like here for Arch Manning,”

Additionally, Sarkisian also pointed out the flashes of greatness that Manning showed during the game.

“We saw some real flashes and glimpses of the type of player that he’s going to become here,” Sarkisian said. “I think there’s a lot to hold onto of what the future is going to look like for Arch Manning here.”

Although that was true at the time, and still holds up to this point, that’s precisely the issue: It’s just flashes.

Following the loss to the Buckeyes, the Longhorns faced three non-conference Group of Five opponents, and in every game, there were questions and complaints that followed Manning’s performance.

Against San Jose State and UTEP, Manning struggled to simply throw the ball accurately, as the Texas offense couldn’t manage more than 38 points in either game against those teams. Texas seemed to have found solutions for Manning and the offense for the game against Sam Houston, though, as the offense put up 55 points and Manning threw for over 300 yards.

However, Sam Houston is arguably the worst team in all of college football. It didn’t matter, though, as issues were seemingly resolved, and with a bye week for Texas ahead of its SEC opener against Florida, the Longhorns seemed to be in a great position.

Well, they weren’t. It became apparent on Saturday that the team had gone backwards rather than forward after the bye week, as the Longhorns struggled in every area of the game, offense and defense, almost every position on the field.

But specifically, it was yet another game in which Manning showed flashes, and only that. There were great throws and nice touchdowns, but there were also terrible decisions and two interceptions.

After the game, like always, Sarkisian went into the post-game presser and defended the quarterback’s performance.

“I thought he competed his heart out. Our entire team did,” Sarkisian said. “Made some big-time plays for us. I’m sure there’s going to be a few other plays he’d love to have back, but I don’t question his heart at all. He battled tonight.”

Now, this isn’t to say that Sarkisian should go out and dog on his quarterback, but some issues need to be addressed. So far, there have only been flashes of what-could-be with Manning, but nothing quite consistent.

With Texas’ season now in jeopardy, the issue with Manning needs to be addressed. It’s hard now, given that Texas is about to enter the Red River Rivalry and begin SEC play, but if all we continue to see from Manning are flashes, then the season will only go downhill from here, and the Longhorns could quite possibly lose at least two more games.