Steve Sarkisian made some interesting comments about Arch Manning after Texas beat UTSA that Tennessee definitely needs to hear
The Tennessee Vols and the Texas Longhorns will meet in Neyland Stadium next Saturday for a massive SEC showdown.
Tennessee beat Kennesaw State 42-9 on Saturday night in Neyland, and that means it’s officially Texas week for the Vols.
The Volunteers and the Longhorns will meet in Neyland Stadium next Saturday at noon for a massive SEC showdown.
One of the big storylines will obviously be Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Vols legend Peyton Manning, making his Neyland Stadium debut.
Arch is one of the top quarterbacks in college football, and containing him will be a huge key for Tennessee in this game.
Steve Sarkisian wants Arch Manning to use his legs less moving forward
Unlike his uncles Peyton and Eli, Arch is dynamic with his legs. Even if he’s not throwing well, Arch can still win games with his legs.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, however, thinks Arch can rely on his legs too much at times.
Sarkisian said after the Longhorns’ 30-6 win against UTSA that he doesn’t want Arch to run as much as he did on Saturday night.
The Texas head coach also noted that Arch had to deal with a lot of distractions this past week (due to his comments about ESPN reporter Holly Rowe).
“I thought Arch kind of fell in love with his legs a little bit tonight,” said Sarkisian. “His legs are a really good weapon. … But what happens when you go to run? You can start speeding up through your progressions, and I think that’s why we don’t want to make a living with him running the ball as much as he ran tonight. We want him to use his legs when he can. But ideally, we’re living in the passing game where the ball’s coming out and we’re calling things where he can get completions and he’s throwing it accurately and then guys are making plays and catching the ball. And then his legs could be the last resort — the weapon to get us out (of a bad play). I felt like we were leaning too much on his legs, and it kind of just got us a little out of whack that way. So I think he’ll get back going.
“It was a long week for him, too, understandably. A lot of distractions with the stuff he had to deal with. So hopefully he can get himself refocused and ready to go for a big week as we start SEC play.”
Arch had nine carries for 50 yards (with a long of 20 yards) against UTSA.
There’s no doubt that Arch’s legs are a weapon for Texas, but it’ll be interesting to see if he runs less against Tennessee after hearing those comments from Sarkisian.
I think Arch running less would be a good thing for the Vols. And that’s not to disrespect his throwing ability — we’ve certainly seen Arch make big plays in the pass game — but stopping a running quarterback who knows how to improvise when a play goes south can be incredibly difficult to defend.
Ultimately, though, if Arch is thinking more in the pocket, it’ll be a good thing for Tennessee’s defense.
