Texas HC sent Arch Manning a message after bad scrimmage

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian needs Arch Manning to keep improving before the team's season opener against Ohio State on Aug. 30. 

In his first season as the starter, Manning is set to lead the No. 1 Longhorns into a tough battle on the road against No. 3 Ohio State.

During Saturday's scrimmage, the defense dominated Manning and the offense for most of the practice. The redshirt sophomore had trouble behind a struggling offensive line.

On Monday, Sarkisian told the media that he talked to Manning after the scrimmage about a few missed plays he believes could have been made.

“I think when we visited with Arch coming out of Saturday, there was probably five or six plays that I’m very confident he’s going to make as we move forward,“ Sarkisian said, via Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation.

“He didn’t do anything catastrophically bad, but I just know what he’s capable of, and so we’ve just got to keep tightening the screws to make sure that he’s performing the way he’s capable of performing."

Saturday's practice is a reminder of a couple of things. 

One, it may take a few weeks in the regular season for Manning to ease into being the starting quarterback. Two, Manning cannot mask all of the Longhorns' problems, and the offensive line is going to need to do their part if they want a chance at the national championship.

As the preseason No. 1 team in the country, the expectations for Texas and Manning are extremely high. The Longhorns might eventually prove that they're the best team, but they might not look like it during the first quarter in Columbus.