Texas QB Arch Manning’s first year as a starter is eerily similar to a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion
It’s a steep comparison, but the stats don’t lie.
Earlier this week, Orangebloods put out a tweet which caused quite a stir.
The Texas web site released a tweet comparing Arch Manning’s first three games this season to Joe Burrow’s first three games in 2018 as a first-year starter at LSU. The numbers are quite similar. After three games, Burrow had thrown for 540 yards and three touchdowns as LSU defeated No. 8 Miami, Southeastern Louisiana, and No. 7 Auburn. A much steeper climb as a newbie.
This year, Manning was defeated by No. 3 Ohio State in the opener and has since easily defeated San Jose State and UTEP. He has thrown for 579 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.
It’s not exactly a one-to-one comparison, but it’s certainly something. Let’s take an even deeper look, shall we?
Both Joe Burrow and Arch Manning left a lot to be desired elsewhere.
Burrow’s quarterback rating and QBR were 118.8 and 69.7 respectively. Manning’s through three games is 126.5 and 52. Again, the nod despite the lack of touchdown passes is Burrow. He defeated better teams and has the edge in QBR.
The future Heisman Trophy winner and national champion finished the season completing just 58 percent of his passes and only 16 touchdowns. He threw for 2,894 yards and LSU finished the season with a 10-3 record and a 40-32 Fiesta Bowl win over UCF.
Obviously, the 2019 year was a masterclass in quarterbacking. Some would put it up there as one of, if not the greatest, single seasons in college football history. Burrow completed 76(!!) percent of his passes – throwing for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and just six interceptions.
Texas Longhorns News
National analyst believes Steve Sarkisian may need to bench Arch Manning to eventually get the best out of him
This is a terrible idea and I’m going to tell you why.
Arch Manning still has plenty of time to turn things around.
Burrow went on to defeat three more ranked teams in 2018. Manning will have what looks like a shot at defeating at least four ranked teams pending future results. The non-conference comparison is somewhat of a wash with LSU facing a ranked Miami team in the opener while Texas also faced a Top 10 team in Ohio State.
And if the polls favor the SEC teams on the schedule for later this year, Manning will face four ranked programs like LSU did seven years ago.
But, if Manning is going to get it done, he needs to fix things ASAP. The pressure has been mounting with three subpar performances thus far. It’s quite clear he is pressing and moving a little too fast through the offense. This weekend is a perfect opportunity for Texas’ offense to “get right” against an awful Sam Houston pass defense.
