‘Arch Manning looked lost’: Colin Cowherd reacts to Texas QB’s debut
Published:
Ahead of his debut, some wondered if Texas quarterback Arch Manning would be able to live up to the ever-increasing expectations. Some believed Manning would step into the starting lineup and propel the top-ranked Longhorns to bigger and better things. Very few thought he would struggle the way he actually did.
In the aftermath of Texas’s 14-7 loss to No. 3 Ohio State, everyone has been left to pontificate about what went wrong. Manning completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 170 yards and a touchdown. His legs weren’t much of a factor, he threw 1 pick, and he nearly threw another.
RELATED READING: Feel free to get off the bloated Arch Manning hype train after his Week 1 dud
FOX’s Colin Cowherd said after the game it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see Manning struggle against Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
“Matt Patricia is throwing stuff at Arch Manning, stuff Arch Manning, I’m sure, didn’t see in practice,” Cowherd said. “Arch Manning, especially in the first 3 quarters, he was seeing things, he didn’t look comfortable, he didn’t set and throw. He was completely off. It looked like he just hadn’t practiced.”
Cowherd pointed to Patricia’s experience as an NFL defensive coordinator and claimed that experience gave him a leg up during prep. NFL coordinators, Cowherd stated, are tasked with stopping the sport’s very best quarterbacks while college coordinators are primarily concerned with stopping the run because not every team has an elite, Sunday guy at the quarterback position.
Still, the degree to which Manning struggled surprised the daytime sports talk show host.
“Arch Manning looked lost,” Cowherd said. “It’s Ohio State. It’s Columbus. I didn’t think it would look like that.”
Manning and the ‘Horns will look to bounce back next Saturday when they host San Jose State at noon ET on ABC. Texas opened as a 36.5-point favorite in that game at BetMGM.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
