Arch Manning finally put on his best performance of the season against Sam Houston on Saturday. The quarterback has been at the center of criticism this season for his inconsistent play. Manning was happy that he broke his poor spell, maybe too happy, according to former Heisman winner Johnny Manziel.
On Saturday, Arch Manning showed a glimpse of what the hype was all about. In the 55-0 victory, he completed 18 of 21 for 309 yards and had 3 touchdowns. However, the attention was diverted from his on-pitch performance to his on-field antics. In the end stages of the first quarter, the QB completed a 5-yard touchdown while juking the Houston defense.
Houston linebacker Antavious Fish tried to tackle him but ended up spinning on the turf. Manning, for some reason, decided to trash-talk Fish, who was still on the ground. It quickly became hostile from there, with both facing each other off like a UFC fight. On the Nightcap podcast on YouTube, Johnny Manziel called Manning’s actions “a corny move,” stating that it wasn’t necessary for him to pick a fight.
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Shannon Sharpe also gave his thoughts on the matter. “You’re standing over a guy from Sam Houston State. You’re supposed to help them up. You ain’t got no business playing Sam Houston State,” Sharpe said. What Shannon meant was that Manning flexing on Houston players was a bad gesture. Sam Houston runs a much smaller program than Texas. You do that against top SEC programs, and fans may still understand why it was needed.
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Manziel recalled a similar situation in his career, but he emphasized that he did not take it too far with his behavior. “I did have a play versus Sam Houston State at home where I trucked somebody in the endzone, and I got up and I kind of stepped over him a little bit, but I didn’t flex on him, and I didn’t get in his face. I just was a little hyped after it,” said Manziel.
Manning kept celebrating after the players broke apart, until a referee stopped him. His mother was not too happy about the behavior, though. “My mom was pretty mad about that. Little immature, but I think it’s some built-up frustration from the past few weeks,” Manning said after the game. The game on Saturday was a perfect showing for Manning, who was sharp on the field with his throws after a long time.
Can Arch Manning’s Texas keep this form for long?
The Week 4 game stood out for several reasons. Primarily, Arch Manning’s performance. The quarterback looked assured in the pocket. Before this game, his three outings brought him out of all the Heisman lists and NFL draft predictions. The Ohio State was a brutal introduction to his gig as the starting QB of the Longhorns. But even against UTEP and San Jose, Arch failed to make easy completions and continued his interception streak.
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HC Steve Sarkisian had his own take on Manning’s performance. “He’s a very cerebral guy in his approach and in his preparation, but at his core, I think when he plays a little looser, a little bit more free, that’s the best version of Arch.” A point that cannot be refuted after Saturday.
While Sam Houston is not the ‘best’ team in college football, beating them in a 55-0 fashion would surely be a boost. But the SEC challenge awaits them. The Longhorns will face the Gators next after a bye. A win at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium could become a conversation starter for Texas to be a contender.