Texas QB Arch Manning not looking ready for SEC play after dud vs. UTEP

The Texas Longhorns officially have cause for concern.

While quarterback Arch Manning's struggles two weeks ago at Associated Press No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes were easy to explain, Saturday's performance against the UTEP Miners was alarming, a troubling sign two weeks before Texas opens SEC play.

The Longhorns were hardly threatened playing the Miners, but it's hard to imagine them being competitive against the conference's best if Manning doesn't make significant improvements in a hurry.

Arch Manning continues to underwhelm in his fifth collegiate start

Manning's first half was as poor as his numbers indicate. He entered halftime 5-of-16 for 69 yards (4.3 yards per attempt) and an interception while adding two rushing touchdowns.

Despite his rocky performance, Associated Press No. 7 Texas (2-1) won, 27-10. But Manning didn't build much positive momentum in the third and fourth quarters, ending the game completing 44 percent of his pass attempts (11-of-25) for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Longhorns offense sputtered in two goal-to-go situations, having to settle for field goals, which kept the game close.

Texas is lucky to have played an inferior opponent from Conference USA, arguably college football's worst conference, where its deficiencies were more easily masked. Texas shouldn't be challenged against Sam Houston (0-3), also CUSA, in Week 4, either.

But SEC competition appears much more daunting. The Longhorns open their conference schedule against the Florida Gators. While Florida (1-1) has its own problems, a trip to The Swamp in Gainesville is never an easy task. Texas follows that with the Red River Rivalry against No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners (3-0).

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer has been excellent this season, and based on how the Texas offense has functioned with Manning, it likely won't be able to keep pace in a shootout. If Manning can't move the ball efficiently against teams like UTEP, what chance does he have of getting the job done against the SEC?

For a team with championship aspirations, Manning's struggles are even more concerning. The Longhorns will need more from their young, unproven quarterback going forward to live up to their lofty expectations. Based on what we've seen so far, that's far from guaranteed.