Arch Manning couldn’t do enough Saturday to win in the Swamp but Texas HC Steve Sarkisian had a clear message for his QB
No time to sulk, Oklahoma is on deck for Texas. Time to figure it out.
Everyone’s a critic. And on Saturday, the reviews were out in full force after No. 9 Texas lost to Florida, 29-21. Arch Manning had an up-and-down day throwing the football thanks in large part to an incredibly bad run game and an offensive line which could not deal with Florida’s front seven.
Manning finished 16-of-29 for 263 yards and two touchdowns. But, he also had two costly interceptions. This type of quarterback play is not going to get it done in the SEC. Especially when the always reliable Texas defense is getting gashed like it did Saturday. Florida finished with 457 total yards – including 159 of those on the ground.
After the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian was complimentary of his quarterback’s play.
“I thought he competed his heart out. And again, that’s all our entire team,” Sarkisian said. “I think most people thought we were probably dead and gone and we fought all the way back. We had a chance there at the end. I think, you know, learning lesson for him is the situations of the game, you know, of not taking a sack in two-minute with no time outs, and having the ability to throw the ball away.
Texas Longhorns News
In search of a solution, Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian has a clear message for his team
There were a myriad of reasons for Saturday’s loss, but Steve Sarkisian thinks he knows what his team needs.
Steve Sarkisian’s message was still positive.
“But it was just because he was competing so hard. But he’ll learn that stuff. And that’s part of the process of growing and developing as a young quarterback,” Sarkisian said. “But proud of his competitive spirit, made some big time plays for us. I’m sure there’s going to be a few other plays he’d love to have back, but don’t question his heart at all. He battled tonight.”
There weren’t many positives in this one, but Manning did do some nice things in the passing game when he had time to deliver the football. Those times were not happening a lot, though. Still, Sarkisian is keeping the message very clear to his players as SEC play is finally here
“You know, we’re one-loss team in the SEC. You know, there’s a lot of lot of football left to be played. We got seven conference games to be played. You know, I’m not going to sit here and give us the poor me’s the woe is us.”
Regardless of the end result, Arch Manning is still the guy.
“We’ll get back. We’ll get ready to go. Obviously, got a big, pivotal game next week against a rival opponent in Oklahoma, very good football team. We need to get ourselves ready to play and focus on next week,” Sarkisian said. “And I think one of the mistakes we can make is look big picture. We need to focus on this week and put our best foot forward and to get ready to play against a good football team.”
Manning still has all the confidence from his coaches and teammates, but a lot has to change if Texas is going to stay relevant in October and into November. The run game has to improve. Whether it’s Tre Wisner continuing to get back to full-speed, CJ Baxter coming back and providing a spark, or someone else stepping up.
Emmett Mosley V had just two catches for 40 yards, but you see the potential. He had a big catch in a 50-50 ball situation and certainly looks the part. But, again, it all starts up front with the offensive line. Sarkisian commented on his o-line unit and the future of the group.
“I think It’s a bunch of stuff. And it goes back to our ability to run it. I think it goes back to finding rhythm of playing with one another and trusting one another. And then I think ultimately it’s experience. And right now, we’re just not an experienced group, especially not an experienced group playing together. And so we’ve got to keep pushing those guys to be the best that they can be. I know there’s more in there. I know there’s better play in there, and it’s our job to get it out.”
