The Texas Longhorns suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, losing in an upset to the unranked Oklahoma Sooners. On paper, it was a game the Longhorns had no business losing.
As you’d expect, the headlines coming out of the latest edition of the Red River Rivalry are intensely focused on the 'Longhorns' offensive shortcomings, and more specifically, quarterback Arch Manning.
With Manning's name and fame, any loss Texas suffers puts the focus on the fourth-year signal-caller. And while Manning’s two fourth-quarter interceptions went a long way in helping Oklahoma pull off the upset, the blame falling squarely on Manning's shoulders doesn’t tell the full story.
A Fairer Assessment
Win or lose, one thing will always remain true in football: credit and blame will always fall on two people, the head coach and the quarterback. Whether justified or not, the head coach and quarterback will always take the brunt of the blowback or praise.
That is true even for Texas. Although it seems that issue is only exacerbated with Manning. Case in point: after a slow start to his first year as the starter, Manning was deemed college football’s first “flop.”
Now, the narrative around Manning coming out of Dallas hasn’t quite reached that level. The analysis of his performances delivers an often unpleasant truth: he isn’t playing as well as he should be.
The two late-game interceptions, both of which helped the Sooners net points, were mistakes an experienced quarterback shouldn’t make. Trying to be aggressive with the game still in the air on second-and-13 is a lesson Manning shouldn’t have to learn five games into his second season as a starter.
Yet, for all the negative talk surrounding Manning, it is easy to overlook the positives. The former five-star didn’t play a terrible game through the first 30 minutes. He was a major reason the Longhorns built a 17-7 lead at halftime.
Take the interceptions away, and his 19/31 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns should be enough for Texas to win against an Oklahoma team ranked near the bottom in several offensive categories.
Manning and the Texas offense showed signs of what things could look like this season. Star wide receiver transfer Cam Coleman continues to put it together in Austin, catching a team-high five receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Manning and Coleman connected on two 40+ yard passes, exactly the type of plays this Texas offense should be able to produce.
Yet that's where the issues lie for the Longhorns offense. Through five games the explosive ability hasn’t consistently shown up. Manning played a strong first half against a still-talented Oklahoma defense, yet couldn’t make the necessary second-half plays to seal the win.
There is no doubt that Manning must improve if Texas hopes to fulfill its season goals, but the team around him must do the same.
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