It was supposed to be all victories and Vuori commercials by now for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning.
Actually, Manning, if the scouts were to be believed, was never expected to see his fourth season at Texas. He was supposed to be a rookie sensation in the NFL by now.
Instead he’s dealing with speculation about sharing playing time with a redshirt freshman or possibly transferring at season’s end. Manning’s career is beginning to resemble that of Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns’ previous No. 1 overall recruit who, while certainly a good player, never reached the expectations surrounding him.
Sarkisian, meanwhile, after consecutive losses to unranked teams, is facing renewed pressure on everything — his playcalling, his roster decisions, his program and maybe his own future.
All of this just as an Ole Miss team that is the Longhorns’ polar opposite — led by a once-unheralded Division II transfer at quarterback — arrives in already restless Austin.
The questions are everywhere.
Can Manning be more than just a good, but inconsistent, quarterback with a famous name?
Is Sarkisian really some offensive genius, or is he mostly the beneficiary of a series of extraordinary opportunities — calling plays as an assistant during the dynasty days of USC and Alabama that led to head coaching chances at Washington, USC and now UT?
And, finally, why can’t Texas be more than just a program of endless hype and money? Despite all its resources, especially in these free-spending days, it has captured just a single national title since 1970.
The aforementioned promise of coach and program is a big reason Manning chose Texas over the established championship pedigrees of Alabama’s Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
It was supposed to be a partnership for the future — a touted talent and a supposed offensive savant of a coach together in a booming city of a hot state, just as the sport transitioned to a big-money era. How could this go wrong?
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the disappointment.
Just weeks ago, Texas was ranked No. 1 after victories over Ohio State and Tennessee. But even at its peak, the offense didn’t look like a juggernaut. The consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida haven’t created the questions so much as made them impossible to ignore.
Manning is not a bust, but he has thrown for just 11 touchdowns this season, against five interceptions, 17 sacks and a fumble. His 215.8 yards passing per game doesn’t rank him in the top 10 … of the SEC, let alone the country.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that backup KJ Lacey would get more first-team reps in practice this week. No one would be surprised if Lacey saw the field against Ole Miss.
This wasn’t the plan.
“I told [Sarkisian] I expect myself to play better,” Manning said.
“I need to see a better version of Arch Manning,” Sark added.
In turn, Manning (as well as the rest of the team) needs to see a better version of Sarkisian. It’s not like the Longhorns can run the ball either — their 3.64 yards per carry rank 13th in the SEC.
So how much of Texas’ offensive collapse belongs to the quarterback, and how much belongs to the coach who recruited him, developed him and designed the system around him?
“The player is in there, and it’s our job to try to get it out of him,” Sarkisian said.
Given his time with the program and that amount of complementary talent around him, including offseason transfers such as wide receiver Cam Coleman, should the coach still be treating this as a developmental project?
“Well, I think that’s our job as coaches, and that’s part for Arch, the player, right?” Sarkisian said. “There’s two parts to this. Right?”
To Manning’s credit, he isn’t shying away from any of it. When you have his last name and you play at this level of a program, there is no hiding from the spotlight.
“I haven’t put good film on tape for the last five weeks, and I’m going to be better,” Manning said. “I’m going to be better for my teammates. I’m going to be better for myself and I’m going to be better for my coaches.”
How does he get on track?
“Just [start] letting it rip,” Manning said. “Our backs are against the wall right now, and there’s no place I’d rather be. Just let her rip. I’m going to die on the hill of, I’m letting it rip.”
This was supposed to be a surgical marriage — potential coached by potential, talent surrounded by talent, Texas finally being Texas.
Now it’s down to “let it rip” against the Rebels.
