Texas QB Arch Manning receives message from ESPN's Holly Rowe

ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe during the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan Wolverines at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Holly Rowe, who will be one of the sideline reporters for ABC's broadcast of the Red River Shootout between Texas and No. 6-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday, shared a throwback photo of her experience meeting a young Arch Manning long before he was the Longhorns' high-profile quarterback.

"In 2017, I was at a Clemson playoff practice and someone told me this 12 or 13-year-old kid in the white hoodie was gonna be a good QB one day. Wild that I get to cover him in a college football game today!" Rowe posted on Instagram.

Maybe it wasn't the boldest prediction, given that Manning comes from a family of acclaimed quarterbacks, with his grandfather Archie Manning in the College Football Hall of Fame, uncle Peyton Manning in the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame and uncle Eli Manning, also a two-time Super Bowl winner, along with his brother.

In fact, that family lineage is a main reason why so much has been expected of Arch Manning, the former five-star recruit now in his third season at Texas and first as the full-time starter.

But it's been a rough start to the season for Manning, who struggled mightily in Texas' two biggest games -- losses to Ohio State and Florida -- as the Longhorns have tumbled from a No. 1 preseason national ranking to out of the AP top 25 entirely.

Manning has passed for 1,151 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and rushed for 160 yards and 5 TDs, but his biggest games came against the likes of San Jose State and Sam Houston State. In addition to struggling against Ohio State (170 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT in a 14-7 loss in Week 1) and Florida (263 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs in a 29-21 loss to an unranked and reeling Gators team last week), Manning also struggled passing in a win over UTEP in Week 3 (11 of 25 for 114 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT plus 2 rushing TDs).

He's gone from preseason Heisman Trophy favorite to out of the conversation entirely, as scrutiny and pressure mount.

Texas (3-2, 0-1 SEC) has its back against the wall as it takes on the rival Oklahoma Sooners (5-0, 1-0) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. That said, the Longhorns are a 2.5-point betting favorite entering the day.