Concern mounts for Texas QB Arch Manning before Florida game

The pressure is on Texas quarterback Arch Manning to show progress when the No. 9 Longhorns travel to play Florida on Saturday. Manning had a frustrating start to the season when Texas only scored one touchdown in its 14-7 loss to Ohio State on Aug. 30.

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Manning underwhelmed in the Longhorns’ next two wins against San Jose State and UTEP. He had his best performance in Week 4 when he threw for 309 yards and scored five total touchdowns, but that came in a 55-0 win against the lowly Conference USA Sam Houston Bearkats, who have yet to win a football game this season.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic spoke with an NFL scouting director who said the league’s scouting world has real concerns about Manning before Texas begins conference play. Scouts are unsure if Manning just has the “yips” but said the film he put up from the Ohio State game was “ugly.”

“He’s talented, but he needs to get rid of what’s going on with him,” the scouting director said about Manning. “I don’t know if it’s all mental, but I do know he’s dealing with a level of pressure that nobody else we’re talking about is dealing with. We just need to see a lot more of him before anybody can make a determination about him. He just really hasn’t played a lot. It’s OK to be a little bit developmental and still have high upside. You just gotta let him develop.”

The schedule is set to become much tougher for the remainder of the season than what Manning faced in September.

The Longhorns will play Florida on Saturday. Then the redshirt sophomore will make his first start in the “Red River Rivalry” on Oct. 11 when Texas plays No. 5 Oklahoma. The Longhorns have yet to play No. 16 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M before the season ends.

If Texas wants to make the CFP and chase a title, Manning will need to shake off any “yips” and make sound decisions during SEC play. The 1-3 Gators should be a springboard for the young quarterback before Texas gets into the meatier part of the schedule.

If Manning struggles at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, it could lead to a long and disappointing season in Austin after Texas was ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.

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