Why Steve Sarkisian Remains Confident in Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning

While the Texas Longhorns won in a 27-10 victory over the UTEP Miners in Saturday’s matchup, quarterback Arch Manning began with another sluggish start.

At the half, Manning tallied up 69 yards accompanied by an interception, and having only completed 5-of-16 passes. Unfortunately, for the young quarterback, his performance resulted in a chorus of boos from Longhorns fans.

However, through it all, head coach Steve Sarkisian expanded on why he isn’t too worried about Manning as they continue to dive further into the season.

Judging Manning’s errors would be premature

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) on Sept. 13, 2025, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) against UTEP Miners, Sept. 13, 2025, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

“I feel like our passing game in week one was average, I thought last week was explosive,” Sarkisian said in a press conference. “And today, I don't even know if it was average.”

Discussing Manning’s progress, Sarkisian said, as a play caller or offensive staffmen, they’re constantly making changes to feel the flow of the game, and see what’s working.

“I know there's a lot of football in there that's high level, quality football, and so is my expectation of (Manning) as a player high — yes,” Sarkisian said. “Do I expect him to play the best football of his career the first three games of this season — probably not.”

When asked, if Manning showed connection with a specific teammate, in regards to passing rhythm — Sarkisian said he doesn’t think the quarterback shows preference.

“I don’t think it’s about one player in particular. I just think it’s about rhythm in the passing gamer, overall in general,” Sarkisian said.

Emphasizing the expectation to find a passing rhythm, he added, the fourth quarter touchdown to wide receiver Ryan Wingo is a good example.

“Around here, that's the expectation of the passing game, that how we operate, and they understand that,” Sarkisian said. “But we've got to be able to play at that level consistently, and we're just not there right now and it’s our job to try to get them to that point.”

He noted, that Manning knew he was missing throws, which resulted in him skipping reads and scrambling, leading to an overreliance on his legs. However, he remains optimistic about Manning’s abilities.

“There was a lot of good in there,” Sarkisian said. “I just know, and I think we all would agree that there's better in there that’s to come. And again, it's a race to get there as fast as we can.”

While Manning’s performance has proved to have its fair share of ups and downs, Sarkisian remains confident in Manning, and acknowledges there’s still work to be done for the Longhorns before SEC play begins.