Steve Sarkisian defends Arch Manning, says 'Joe Smith' wouldn't face same scrutiny

Despite a pair of costly fourth-quarter interceptions against Oklahoma on Saturday, Sarkisian maintains Manning is on a solid trajectory

Oct 12, 2026 at 1:55 pm ET • 4 min read

While Texas entered Saturday's Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma as the No. 1 team in the nation, the Longhorns still faced plenty of questions about whether the offense was a championship-caliber unit. 

A 27-24 loss to the unranked Sooners did little to alleviate those questions, particularly after Texas unraveled in the second half. 

Few players in the country receive as much attention as Arch Manning, and he gave people plenty to discuss on Saturday with a rollercoaster performance. Manning delivered a few phenomenal downfield passes, but those were offset by a pair of back-breaking interceptions -- one a pick-six to give Oklahoma the lead and the other at the end of regulation to set up Oklahoma's game-winning field goal. 

On Monday, coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about Manning's processing and offered a defense of his star quarterback, insisting the conversation would be different if there was a different last name on his jersey. 

"I think that he's processing fine. Playing really good offensive football is all 11, playing 11 as one. I think it's scheme, I think it's momentum of the game," Sarkisian said. "I think if you took the name off the back of his jersey and you said here's Joe Smith playing quarterback at the University of Texas and here's a guy who's beaten four top-10 ranked teams in his last 13 starts, we'd be praising the guy. But the expectations are high for him, and he understands that. The expectations are high for all of us, so we gotta put our nose back to the grind and get to work." 

The Texas offense has been boom-or-bust all season, which was on full display again on Saturday against Oklahoma. The big plays, like the opening touchdown strike from Manning to Cam Coleman, are fantastic, but the lack of consistency continues to dismay Texas fans -- and Sarkisian. 

The Longhorns are in the bottom half of the country in third-down conversion rate (39.2%), and the constant three-and-outs have become an issue. A fourth-year player like Manning, who continues to have issues with turnovers and keeping the offense on track, raises questions about his development. 

Steve Sarkisian will still call plays, not considering staff changes after Texas' loss to Oklahoma

Brad Crawford

These are the same issues that have been apparent in Manning's game since he took over as the starter last year, but Sarkisian insists he's progressing nicely. 

"Everybody's a little bit different...I think Arch is on a nice trajectory," Sarkisian said. "I hate it for him. He had two interceptions in the fourth quarter of that game, when, quite frankly, I thought he played pretty good up until that point. And that's the frustrating part, but that's the level of consistency that's needed. We know he can be really good in critical moments. We saw that here against Ohio State. We saw that in the fourth quarter drive against Tennessee. So just getting him back to that, playing with confidence and trust in his ability and the guys around him."

There's not much more for Sarkisian to say in this spot. The Longhorns still have a clearly defined path to the College Football Playoff, and he needs Manning to help get them there. Still, it's hard to buy into the idea that Manning is showing the kind of growth expected of him entering his fourth year in Austin. 

That has shifted some heat onto Sarkisian, who is supposed to be an offensive guru shepherding Manning into stardom. Instead, the two seem to be spinning their wheels on how to get the most out of an incredibly talented offensive roster. Sarkisian has been defiant about giving up play-calling duties, noting that's one of the main reasons he was hired in the first place. 

Shouldering that responsibility means the offense's inconsistencies ultimately fall on him, and while he insists he's digging into why the players and scheme aren't meshing to this point, Sarkisian also offered little in the way of solutions on Monday. 

"I think I always can do better. I always look at myself first," Sarkisian said. "My job is to put our players in the best position to be successful. And if we're not hitting on all cylinders, if we're having three-and-outs, if we're turning the ball over, clearly I have to look at what we're doing and what we're asking them to do first. And then are they executing what we're asking them to do, and are those things that we're asking them to do things that they do well? So I think it's a combination of all that, and ultimately that's my job, and I take full responsibility for all that." 

The Longhorns are now into the meat of their SEC schedule and have to shift focus from the disappointment of Red River to taking care of business against a Florida team that's stumbling into Austin off back-to-back losses. After that, it's a run of four straight currently ranked opponents -- Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU -- on the schedule for Texas. 

If the offense can't establish that rhythm soon, the Longhorns could quickly find themselves on the playoff bubble once again, and it wouldn't matter whether the quarterback's name is Manning, Smith or anything else; the heat will be turned up in Austin.