Lessons Arch Manning is taking from Texas’ season-opening disappointment

Arch Manning is well aware that his play on Saturday against No. 3 Ohio State was not where it needed to be. 

The Texas quarterback said as much on Monday when he spoke with reporters following the Longhorns’ 14-7 Week 1 loss to the Buckeyes, where the newly minted starter completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

Manning – a member of one of football’s great families – was not happy with the start he got off to in the game against the defending national champions. 

“I hold myself to a high standard,” Manning told reporters, according to ESPN. “I’ve got to play better, got to lead more, got to get our guys to play well around me and ultimately I wasn’t good enough.”

Part of the issue for Manning was that he didn’t seem comfortable until the second half, when Texas put up 260 yards of offense, but still only managed to score seven points. 

Manning said he “let it rip a little more” in the second half and that he has to “start that sooner.” 

With the last name Manning — shared with football legends in grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli — there’s plenty of expectation and pressure on the sophomore quarterback and he said the performance on Saturday will motivate him going into the Longhorns’ second game of the year against San Jose State. 

“I’m determined,” Manning said. “I think this is going to motivate me to play better and that’s what we need to win.”

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian did notice little details in Manning’s game that will need to be addressed, though it seemed like they were things that will come with time and familiarity with his receivers. 

“There were a couple times where we had some crossing routes where I didn’t feel like he brought his feet to where he wanted to throw the ball, which in turn forced kind of a little bit more of a sidearm delivery, which isn’t his style of throwing,” Sarkisian said. “Part of that is just finding that comfort level of trust with receivers in real games — not in practice, not against the scout team, but in a real game — against a good defense because the windows get small against good defenses like that. So definitely lesson learned on that stuff.”