Urban Meyer isn’t buying all the heat coming Arch Manning’s way.
The Texas quarterback is heading into a massive season on the Forty Acres, one that could shape the way his career is remembered. After Texas fell short of the College Football Playoff last year, Manning drew plenty of criticism, especially for his rough opening stretch in losses to Ohio State and Florida. He did settle in later, but by then the Longhorns’ CFP case had already taken a hit.
On a recent episode of “The Triple Option” podcast, Meyer addressed the criticism head-on and said the noise around Manning isn’t going away. At the same time, he pushed back on the idea that Manning was the only reason Texas came up short.
Manning’s opener against Ohio State was the game that fueled a lot of the early backlash. He was off on his throws, threw a costly second-half interception, and never looked fully comfortable in Texas’ 14-7 loss.
Meyer pointed the finger elsewhere too, saying the receivers and a tough Ohio State defense played major roles in why Manning’s performance fell short of expectations.
"I think the common denominator of every great quarterback is a great group of players around him, and I remember talking to Sark about this," Meyer said. "Everybody's all over Arch Manning, and I get it.
You're a quarterback and you have that last name? Get used to it pal that's gonna be the rest of your life.
However, when players aren't open, that's not the quarterback's fault. And the receivers against Ohio State really struggled.
They're very talented, they didn't play great in that game."
Manning’s numbers in that game weren’t disastrous: 17 completions on 30 attempts for 170 yards, one touchdown, one interception, plus 10 carries for 38 yards. But the stat line didn’t tell the whole story, and the eye test left plenty of room for criticism.
Texas will get an early shot at Ohio State again this season, with the Buckeyes coming to Austin for a Sept. 10 matchup.
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