Texas HC Steve Sarkisian has request for Arch Manning

Steve Sarkisian wants more fire out of Arch Manning

It was an uncharacteristic moment from Manning, but after the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed that he liked that moment from his quarterback.

You don't want it to cross the line into taunting, but Sarkisian was jazzed up about the emotion Manning displayed.

“There’s a lot more personality in there than sometimes everyone gets to see,” Sarkisian said in the postgame (h/t On3). “I always feel like he’s a little bit at his best when that emotion kind of comes out some. I think there was a lot built up in there, obviously from last week that he needed to get out. But, inevitably, I think the guys feed off of that from him, and it’s one of his strengths."

Texas is ranked No. 10 in the nation at 3-1 after an opening-weekend loss to Ohio State. The Longhorns have rolled through San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston, but they'll need Manning to be at his best for the rest of this season to remain a College Football Playoff contender.

The next game against 1-3 Florida should be easily winnable, even on the road in The Swamp, but Texas still has matchups with No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Georgia and No. 9 Texas A&M looming large on its schedule.

Manning has looked "off" at times this season, to put it lightly, but perhaps the 58-0 route of Sam Houston will be just what the doctor ordered for the uber-hyped quarterback.

He completed 18-of-21 passes against the Bearkats for 309 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two touchdowns on the ground. That performance, plus the emotion he showed, clearly left Sarkisian feeling good about his quarterback.

"All in all, it was a good game for him," Sarkisian said. "But to me, it was a good week for him. The buildup to the game was reminiscent of the way he practiced. So that’s the goal, right? When you practice really well, taking practice to the game and you have some success.”