Hype Meets Harsh Reality for Arch Manning: ‘Finish the Book Before We Judge Him’

Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Separated by one fruitless comeback attempt, four turnovers on downs and nearly five hours of real time, the journeys into and out of Ohio Stadium for Arch Manning, the impossibly famous college quarterback lugging an anchor-like last name, could be viewed as emotional bookends between which the vortex of expectations raged. 

A close-up view of Arch Manning’s Texas Longhorns #16 jersey. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

Fifty-three minutes remained in warmups on Saturday morning when Manning, ready to embark on his first season as Texas’ starting quarterback, shuffled down the visiting tunnel amid a gaggle of offensive teammates. Those at the front of the group welcomed and beckoned the hailstorm of boos greeting them from a home crowd still reveling in the national championship Ohio State won earlier this year. They turned their palms skyward and begged the Buckeye faithful for more noise, more bile, more rancor, to which those bedecked in scarlet and gray happily obliged. 

Manning — who is reclusive by nature — lingered somewhat innocently toward the rear, his body language a picture of stoicism. It was only when the Longhorns broke their brief huddle that the quarterback galloped into gear. 

In that moment, long before Manning’s first wayward pass or misread coverage, before his brutal interception and his series of missteps on fourth down, everything the football world envisioned for him felt possible: the impending Heisman Trophy candidacy, the pursuit of Texas’ first national title in 20 years, the path toward joining uncles Peyton and Eli as No. 1 overall picks in the NFL Draft. Manning’s enviable mop of hair poked through the visor on his helmet as he smiled through some short-range passes. He flicked and flitted his hands through a personalized handshake with one of the Longhorns’ staffers. The opportunity for him to be a real quarterback after months of being Arch Manning was finally here. 

But later that afternoon, shortly after Manning’s final pass was caught a smidgeon shy of the first-down marker to preserve a steely 14-7 win for Ohio State, his return trip toward the visiting locker room lacked any semblance of the pregame bounce and youthful naïveté. His left elbow was scraped and bloody. His helmet was tipped backwards toward the rear of his head. The left arm of center Cole Hutson, the lone returning starter on a rebuilt offensive line, was draped around Manning’s back in a show of support. 

Everyone knew Manning’s performance had failed to keep pace with the runaway hype train he neither wants nor is able to control — particularly when considering how small his sample size was last season — and now the losing quarterback from the highest-profile opener in recent memory will have to answer for not being Arch Manning enough, no matter how ludicrous that concept seems.

“I always want him to play better,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said following the game. “That’s the job of a coach, right? And our job is to try to find ways for all of our guys to play better. So for Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside. But I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him, right? This is one chapter, and we’ve got a long season to go play.”

And yet there was a sizable chunk of the sporting world that seemed to revel in outlining Manning’s career long before the book on him had even been released. They’d seen enough, apparently, during his 233 snaps worth of cameos as the primary backup for Quinn Ewers in 2024 to anoint him the greatest quarterback in the country, even though his only two starts came against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State — the former being an overmatched member of the Sun Belt Conference and the latter being an SEC bottom feeder that can claim a single league victory over the last two seasons combined.

But because the three preceding quarterbacks in the Manning family all developed into legends within the sport, a lineage that begins with patriarch Archie Manning, formerly of Ole Miss and the New Orleans Saints, the weight from two generations’ worth of generational on-field performance was heaped onto the family’s youngest namesake beginning Aug. 11, 2021, the day he was elevated to the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. Manning announced his commitment to Texas the following summer through a characteristically modest social media post, with Longhorns fans eager for him to be named the starter ever since. 

Any matchup between a defending national champion and the top-ranked team in the country would enthrall millions on the opening weekend of the season, especially since no such showdown had occurred since Miami faced Florida State in 1988. The infusion of Arch Mania — er, Arch Manning — into the fray sent the sport’s collective anticipation levels to another level, from the droves of burnt orange-wearing Longhorns fans who discussed banding together and driving from O’Hare International Airport to Columbus in the wee hours of Saturday morning when their connecting flight was nearly canceled, to some of the Texas legends prowling the sideline at Ohio Stadium. 

Actor Matthew McConaughey looks on during a game between Texas and Ohio State. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

There was national champion quarterback Vince Young back in The Horseshoe for the first time since defeating the Buckeyes here in 2005. There was movie star Matthew McConaughey, the school’s official Minister of Culture, anxiously shifting his weight from one cowboy boot to the other, shaking his hands to rid them of nerves, and pacing the sideline throughout the fourth quarter.  

“You better get your game face on!” one Texas fan had shouted to his companion on their way toward the stadium at 9:13 a.m., hauling plastic bags filled with alcohol. “It’s time to get moving on that second beer.”

For the visiting fans, many of whom paid exorbitant sums to see Manning’s public unveiling, the collective excitement quickly faded as Sarkisian’s offense — and the quarterback running it — labored through a clunky first half. The Longhorns’ players and playcallers alike were confounded by “elite level” disguises from an Ohio State secondary under the supervision of new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the former head coach of the Detroit Lions and a longtime defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Patricia’s seamless blend of coverages, which Sarkisian said were unfurled with aplomb by star safety Caleb Downs, forced Texas to punt on four consecutive drives to end the first half. The Longhorns retreated to their locker room having never advanced beyond the Ohio State 42-yard line. 

Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates a play with C.J. Hicks #11 during the third quarter. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

It was then that Sarkisian, a noted quarterback whisperer, sought to soothe his new starter with a one-on-one chat at halftime. They quickly reviewed film of the Buckeyes’ primary alignments through the opening two quarters and shifted the way Manning was asked to identify coverages, something the youngster handled well when Texas returned to the field. 

Sarkisian called more designed runs in the second half because he began to recognize that Manning, who chipped in 38 rushing yards on 10 attempts, seemed like he was being calmed by contact. And while Manning failed to complete a pass longer than nine yards until the 13:02 mark of the fourth quarter, ultimately finishing 17-of-30 for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception, he catalyzed an impressive four-play, 60-yard scoring drive in the waning moments to give the Longhorns a puncher’s chance. The fourth and final turnover on downs snuffed out any potential comeback on Texas’ next possession. 

“Ultimately,” Manning said, “[I was] not good enough. Obviously, you don’t want to start off the season 0-1. They’re a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot. And that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win. I can’t wait until the second half to kind of get things going.”

Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns throws a fourth quarter pass. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Several choruses of “Over-rated! Over-rated!” rained down on Manning by the midway point of the fourth quarter, when his fourth-down pass to wideout Parker Livingstone was knocked away in the end zone to extinguish another drive. A team staffer promptly positioned himself directly behind where Manning plopped down on the Longhorns’ bench to shoo away the reporters who had begun to hover nearby. “Please,” the staffer pleaded, desperately trying to shield Manning from any more scrutiny than the visiting fans were already hurling his way, “It’s our bench.”

But within a few minutes, after Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin kneeled out the clock and the Buckeyes’ offensive linemen danced onto the field with glee, Manning climbed to his feet and trudged across the turf. There were postgame handshakes to complete and the band’s rendition of “The Eyes of Texas,” which played out solemnly from the far end zone as security guards kept the television cameras from engulfing Saturday’s protagonist. 

It was a long walk to the other end of the stadium, where the Longhorns’ newest quarterback fought back a few tears on his way to the visiting locker room. A news conference all about the shortcomings of Arch Manning awaited. 

“I thought we could have played better,” Manning said. “And I could have played a lot better. So I’m just bummed that we couldn’t execute.”

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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