What Arch Manning and Texas must do against San Jose State

One would think that the No. 7 Texas Longhorns are due for a bounce-back game after their Week 1 loss to No. 1 Ohio State.

Up next on the schedule is San Jose State. The Spartans lost in Week 1 to Central Michigan, 16-14, and now they have the tough task of travelling to Austin for Texas' home opener.

They're also going to undoubtedly be going up against a Texas team, and specifically a Texas offense, with something to prove after its Week 1 loss. The Longhorns scored just seven points against Ohio State, and quarterback Arch Manning — who was thought of as a preseason Heisman Trophy contender — looked pedestrian at best.

This is a Texas offense that can be explosive, but Manning has to get himself back on track in order to get the Longhorns back on track.

What does that look like? According to head coach Steve Sarkisian in his preview news conference of Texas' Week 2 contest, it simply comes down to execution.

The best play can be on the table, but the former consensus No. 1 overall recruit and his teammates actually have to make the play.

“I can design all the things that I want to do, but at the end of the day, the players make those things come to life," Sarkisian recently said (h/t On3). "We’ve recruited high-caliber players who are highly competitive, who believe that they can make those plays, but we have to go do that. It’s kind of like, enough talk. We have to go do it. We’ve got to make it come to life.”

Texas learned a hard lesson against Ohio State, and that lesson was a simple one: Hype can only get you so far.

The Longhorns are now faced with the tough task of taking their hype and potential and turning it into reality, but sometimes it takes a humbling in order to make that happen.

Texas got humbled against OSU, so now the Longhorns have to get back to the basics.

For Manning, that means completing the easy passes that the defense gives him, or that Sarkisian schemes up. For the rest of the team, that comes down to doing the little things the right way. 

Lost in the sauce of the loss was the fact that Texas committed six penalties compared to just two from Ohio State. Those types of small details all add up, especially in a big game against a good opponent.

What should be an easy game against San Jose State gives Texas the opportunity to work on those small details.