The Texas Longhorns' Arch Manning is struggling to live up to expectations, going from a player many considered a No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft to a quarterback who has failed to separate himself from other QBs in his draft class.
Ahead of Saturday night's big showdown between the Longhorns and Ole Miss Rebels, ESPN's "College GameDay" crew discussed the matchup. College football legend Nick Saban weighed in on what he believes is holding Manning back.
"What I think Arch needs to do is just do simple better. You know, first read, get the ball out your hand quick, and just cut it loose and play. I do think they've had some protection issues, some falls in protection. I do think he's been affected by that," Saban said. "Makes the quarterback look at the rush so you're not reading downfield like you should."
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The former Alabama coach also said he feels Manning is a "really good player" that head coach Steve Sarkisian wants to see succeed.
"These expectations have created him trying to play too perfectly, rather than just cutting it loose and playing and have fun and being the kind of football player and trust his instincts," Saban said.
Saban's comments came ahead of a game in which Manning could be benched if he struggled again. On Saturday morning, On3's Jonathan Wagner reported via ESPN's Pete Thamel that Manning took " significantly less first-team reps with Texas’ first-team offense this week."
While Sarkisian doesn't want to bench Manning, it appears to be a strong option depending how he played in the clash with the Rebels. Backup KJ Lacey could become the team's quarterback if that happens.
After four straight wins to start their season, the Longhorns are coming off back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida. Texas was previously the No. 1 team after a thrilling comeback win, 24-23, over Ohio State earlier this season. In addition, Texas beat the previous No. 14 team, Tennessee, on the road, 20-17.
Manning has completed 106 of 166 passes for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions this season. He's also been sacked 17 times. As of this writing, he has a QBR of 59.3 and wasn't included in Field Yates' recent top 10 prospects for his mock draft on ESPN.
Other quarterbacks, including Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker, Notre Dame's CJ Carr, and Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss, all made it into the top 10 of Yates' mock draft. However, some strong performances to close his season might be able to boost his stock again.
Ahead of the Ole Miss game, Texas was a home favorite by 3.5 points over Pete Golding's Rebels.
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