Steve Sarkisian Details One-on-One Meeting With Arch Manning

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning appears to have found his rhythm after a sluggish start to the season.

Manning led Texas to a 55-0 win over Sam Houston State this past Saturday and looked impressive while doing so, finishing with 18 of 21 passing for 309 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions along with a pair of rushing scores.

A strong performance was no guarantee for Manning after some notable struggles in the first three games, and it appears that a small meeting between him and head coach Steve Sarkisian seemed to have played a role in the bounce-back performance.

Steve Sarkisian Met With Arch Manning After UTEP Game

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

While speaking to the media after the win over Sam Houston, Sarkisian said his message to Manning the day following the sloppy win over UTEP was simple: he's capable of playing at a high level.

"Arch and I, we've got a very good relationship, I think one where we can be open and honest with one another," Sarkisian said. "The meeting was more about just how I think he can play really good, and here's the approach, and here's how we're going to try to get it done."

Sarkisian added that he had been met with tons of suggestions about how to help Manning amid his struggles, but felt that he and the staff were more than capable of helping the big-name quarterback overcome the adversity.

"I had everybody and their brother call me and tell me how I should fix Arch Manning, and I kind of thought to myself, well, we're pretty good at having quarterbacks play good," Sarkisian said. "I'd like to give myself one more shot before I try to pawn it off to somebody else to figure it out."

The Adversity Isn't Over

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against Austin FC at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

That being said, one good game against a poor Sam Houston team doesn't mean that Manning will all of a sudden cruise his way to New York and win the Heisman Trophy. The rest of the season will be filled with additional adversity that Manning and the Longhorns will have to overcome together if they want to contend for a national championship again.

That starts next Saturday in the SEC opener against the Florida Gators in "The Swamp." Though Florida's offense has been brutal amid a 1-3 start, Manning will still have to face a tough Gators defense that has been the team's only bright spot through the first four games.

Texas and Florida will kick off from Gainesville on Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. CT.