Stephen A. Smith calls out Paul Finebaum for going all-in on Arch Manning hype
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Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum have been known to go at it during ESPN’s morning show, First Take.
Sometimes, it’s a back-and-forth affair between the longtime sports analysts, and sometimes it’s a 1-way conversation. On Tuesday morning, in the aftermath of Week 2 of the college football season, it was more of the latter, at least from Smith’s point of view. Smith had something specific to say to Finebaum on this particular morning — ease up on the Arch Manning hype train, which Smith accuses Finebaum of riding too hard so far this season.
“I didn’t jump the gun. You had him penciled in as some Heisman finalist before he played a game this season,” Smith said to Finebaum. “We need to see him perform. You’re going up against Ohio State, and we know how we performed during that game. We’re waiting to see because Texas, ranked No. 1 coming into the season, it really blew me away. How are you No. 1 in the nation and you’re walking into game 1 as an underdog? Then Arch Manning went out and showed they didn’t deserve to be No. 1.”
So far, it’s been a mixed bag for Manning in 2025. Week 1 was a forgettable debut in Texas’s loss at Ohio State, during which Manning struggled for most of the afternoon. He did fire a late touchdown pass to get the Longhorns within 14-7, but he couldn’t lead Texas to a tying scoring drive. Manning finished just 17 of 30 through the air for only 170 yards passing, that 1 late touchdown and 1 interception. He also failed to score on a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line during the third quarter, a play that if successful could’ve changed the momentum of the game.
Manning was much more comfortable in Week 2 in his home starting debut against San Jose State. The 7th-ranked Longhorns rolled to a 38-7 victory, and Manning threw for 295 yards with 4 touchdown passes and 1 interception.
This Saturday, Manning will be home again as Texas faces UTEP in a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
