LSU's Pass Rush Could Be the Biggest Threat to Arch Manning's Hot Streak

The Texas Longhorns had a rough streak at the halfway mark of the season, and uninspiring play from the offense threatened to throw a wrench into the entire season if it wasn't fixed.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian challenged quarterback Arch Manning to be better, needing to see more from his signal-caller to boost the offense, and get them playing to the standards of what the expectations were entering the year.

Manning has met that challenge and played at a high level in the last three games, all of which were coincidentally wins for the Longhorns. Now facing the LSU Tigers, and perhaps the best pass rush in the country, it could threaten to ruin the three-game streak.

Manning and the Offensive Line Will Be Tested

Mississippi Rebels defensive end Blake Purchase (3) sacks Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16), forcing a fumble, during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's no secret that doubts were starting to surround the Manning tenure, especially after the Longhorns' only two losses of the season. He hadn't played clean football, and perhaps more importantly to outside eyes, he didn't seem to possess the "wow" factor that expectations placed upon him.

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Over the last three weeks, however, Manning has had his best stretch this season, and perhaps of his career. During that time, he's averaged 243 passing yards a game, completed 70.4 percent of his passes, and thrown seven touchdowns to just two interceptions, neither of which has come in the last two contests.

He's doing that with an offensive line that is still trying to play at a high level and handle injuries that have removed a star left tackle from the equation. During that three-game stretch, he's been sacked 10 times, his second-most in any other three-game stretch this year.

Now, the Longhorns face the Tigers, who average 4.1 sacks per game, which is tied for most in the country. The Tigers have three players in the top 60 for sacks this season, with Princewill Umanmielen leading the team and ranked No. 6 in the country with 8.5 sacks.

Manning is no stranger to facing tough defenses either, having already faced the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oklahoma Sooners, who rank No. 2 and No. 3 in sack percentage. The Tigers will be the toughest test, though, as they are No. 1 in sack percentage, taking down opposing quarterbacks 12.22 percent of the time.

Against Tennessee and Oklahoma, Manning was sacked six times and two times, respectively, and he threw a combined four interceptions in those two contests. If the Tigers can get to Manning, it could force him to speed up his processing, potentially leading to more mistakes.

The Longhorns will need Manning at the best of his game, and keeping him protected will be paramount to keeping his hot streak alive, and perhaps more importantly, the winning streak as well.

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