Greg McElroy shares thoughts on Arch Manning’s ‘average’ performance at Ohio State
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The Arch Manning era at Texas did not get out to the hot start many were anticipating and hoping for.
One of the preseason Heisman favorites, Manning completed 17-of-30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception during the Longhorns’ 14-7 loss to Ohio State on Saturday. He also accounted for 38 rushing yards on 10 carries.
But while many fans have taken to the internet to display their displeasure with Manning’s performance, ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy believes there is more to the story.
During an Always College Football video on Sunday morning, McElroy explained that while he believes Manning did miss some throws and strayed from his usual standard, the former Crimson Tide signal-caller believes Steve Sarkisian and the Texas coaching staff could have helped their young quarterback out more.
“So Arch Manning takeaway, I thought he played average. Thought there were a few misses,” McElroy said. “Thought there were a couple of things that his team could have done for him. I thought they [Ohio State] did a great job of kind of corralling him in the run game. And that’s an excellent defense.”
In the end, McElroy says it’s not time to hit the panic button in Austin just yet. He believes that the Week 1 matchup with the defending national champs on the road was a tall order, and that Sark & Co. could have moved the pocket to better utilize Manning’s strengths.
“I think that he’ll be fine long-term. I just don’t think that that was the best situation for him,” McElroy said. “And I don’t love some of the things they asked him to do in the passing game. Move things, they needed to give him a few more answers where he wasn’t on the move.”
Current sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. 2024 graduate from Mizzou and college athletics enthusiast.
