Texas coach Steve Sarkisian touts Arch Manning’s resilience: ‘Very proud of him’
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Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has had to defend quarterback Arch Manning a lot this season, whether fair or unfair, and so Saturday afternoon after Manning’s stellar performance in a huge victory over No. 9 Vanderbilt, Sarkisian didn’t miss the chance to beat the drum for Manning.
Manning was the chief reason that No. 20 Texas had such a big lead in the 4th quarter, as the Longhorns were ahead 34-10 and able to withstand a furious rally led by Manning’s QB counterpart, Diego Pavia. The Commodores scored 21 points in the final period while Texas’ offense went dry, but the Longhorns escaped in a 34-31 victory and Manning was suddenly getting Heisman Trophy chatter again, the kind only reserved for Pavia coming into the game.
In a virtuoso performance, at least for 3 quarters, on the national TV stage, Manning threw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns on Saturday, completing 25 of 33 passes without throwing an interception. His QBR on Saturday was a sparkling 93.2, and Sarkisian was beaming about his quarterback who has been hit with plenty of criticism this season for not living up to preseason expectations.
“I do think he’s grown up,” Sarkisian told reporters during his postgame press conference. “He just looks so much more mature. He looks so much more poised. He looks so much more confident. He’s got a lot of trust in the guys around him.”
Sarkisian wasn’t done.
“He’s making great decisions. He’s throwing the ball accurately,” Sarkisian said. “Very proud of him. It’s been a long year. He’s been through a lot and so for him to have some of the success he’s having right now — he deserves it.”
Manning’s performance helped Texas improve to 7-2 and kept the Longhorns’ faint College Football Playoff hopes alive. After a bye week, it won’t get any easier for Manning, Sarkisian and Texas, which will travel to Georgia for a showdown with the Bulldogs on Nov. 15.
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.
