Urban Meyer defends Arch Manning for Week 1 dud vs. Ohio State
By Jyesha Nance
Published:
Arch Manning’s debut as the Texas quarterback was not what many expected. Last Saturday’s performance against Ohio State — 17 completions out of 30 attempts for 170 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 10 rushes for 38 yards — drew criticism from fans and analysts alike.
One notable analyst chimed in on the conversation, and that is former legendary college coach Urban Meyer. Meyer was a high-level coach with a career that included 3 national championships (2 at Florida, 1 at Ohio State) and a career record of 187 wins in 17 seasons.
With Meyer’s background, he has faced and coached a variety of quarterbacks and can provide a different level of expertise.
On a Thursday appearance on The Herd with FOX’s Colin Cowherd, Meyer defended Manning, pointing out the broader offensive struggles in the Longhorns’ 14-7 loss. He argued that Manning is facing unfair expectations.
“The reality is that the quarterbacks get far too much credit, far too much blame. There weren’t people open,” Meyer said.
Meyer went on to emphasize the need to allow Manning to develop without the pressure of being labeled the future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick or Heisman Trophy winner.
“I went back and watched every snap of Arch Manning, and I keep hearing about [him being the] potential first pick in the NFL Draft [and winning the] Heisman Trophy,” Meyer said. “I keep saying, ‘Stop this. That’s not fair to this guy.’ If you put any other name on the back of his jersey [and] let him grow as a player, he’ll be a much different player in 4 to 5 weeks. He wasn’t ready for that.”
Meyer believes that with time, a supporting cast, and without the pressure of living up to a certain standard, Manning will be able to improve.
“He’ll be fine. I was a little disappointed with the offensive skill of Texas. I didn’t see guys open. I didn’t see the explosiveness you expect out of [Texas]. So, there are a couple common denominators of a great quarterback: they’ve got great players around them. Maybe they do, but I didn’t see that, and maybe we’ll find out more in the next few weeks.”
Manning and the Longhorns will look to redeem themselves when they return to Darrell K-Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sep 6, to face the San Jose State Spartans. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
