Texas coach Steve Sarkisian defended quarterback Arch Manning against the critics on Monday, two days after the Longhorns’ last-second loss to archrival Oklahoma that knocked them out of the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Sarkisian said Manning’s pedigree, more than his play, drives the negativity. The senior is a third-generation player (grandfather Archie, father Cooper, uncles Peyton and Eli Manning) who has been in the public eye since early in his prep career in New Orleans.
“I think if you took the name off the back of his jersey and you said, ‘Here’s Joe Smith playing quarterback at the University of Texas and here’s a guy who’s beaten four top-10 ranked teams in his last 13 starts,’ we’d be praising the guy,” Sarkisian said during his media availability in Austin.
“But the expectations are high for him, and he understands that. The expectations are high for all of us, so we’ve got to put our nose back to the grind and get back to work.”
Manning threw two interceptions against the Sooners, the last coming with 19 seconds remaining in regulation and the game tied. Oklahoma needed just two plays to get into field-goal range and Tate Sandell hit from 47 yards as time expired to give the Sooners the 27-24 upset in Dallas.
The Longhorns (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) dropped to seventh in the AP poll released on Sunday. They own wins over No. 4 Ohio State, which ranked No. 1 when they played Sept. 12 in Austin, Texas, and No. 14 Tennessee.
Manning also threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday. He has 10 touchdowns to five interceptions in five games and has completed 63.0% of his passes (92-for-146) for 1,122 yards. His 143.32 passer efficiency rating ranks 10th in the SEC and 64th nationally.
“It’s not fun when it’s happening but there’s only one way to respond,” Manning said in his media availability Monday. “You can let it linger and let it affect the next week, or you can bounce it back. So, you have one choice.”
Texas hosts Florida (4-2, 2-2), which has lost its last two games, on Saturday.
