ESPN: It's now or never for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning

[Blake Munroe]

It was supposed to be all victories and Vuori commercials by now for Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning.

Actually, Manning, if the scouts were to be believed, was never expected to see his fourth season at Texas. He was supposed to be a rookie sensation in the NFL by now.

Instead he's dealing with speculation about sharing playing time with a redshirt freshman or possibly transferring at season's end. Manning's career is beginning to resemble that of Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns' previous No. 1 overall recruit who, while certainly a good player, never reached the expectations surrounding him.

Sarkisian, meanwhile, after consecutive losses to unranked teams, is facing renewed pressure on everything -- his playcalling, his roster decisions, his program and maybe his own future.

All of this just as an Ole Miss team that is the Longhorns' polar opposite -- led by a once-unheralded Division II transfer at quarterback -- arrives in already restless Austin.

The questions are everywhere.

Can Manning be more than just a good, but inconsistent, quarterback with a famous name?

Is Sarkisian really some offensive genius, or is he mostly the beneficiary of a series of extraordinary opportunities -- calling plays as an assistant during the dynasty days of USC and Alabama that led to head coaching chances at Washington, USC and now UT?

And, finally, why can't Texas be more than just a program of endless hype and money? Despite all its resources, especially in these free-spending days, it has captured just a single national title since 1970.

The aforementioned promise of coach and program is a big reason Manning chose Texas over the established championship pedigrees of Alabama's Nick Saban and Georgia's Kirby Smart.

It was supposed to be a partnership for the future -- a touted talent and a supposed offensive savant of a coach together in a booming city of a hot state, just as the sport transitioned to a big-money era. How could this go wrong?

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the disappointment.

Just weeks ago, Texas was ranked No. 1 after victories over Ohio State and Tennessee. But even at its peak, the offense didn't look like a juggernaut. The consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida haven't created the questions so much as made them impossible to ignore.

Manning is not a bust, but he has thrown for just 11 touchdowns this season, against five interceptions, 17 sacks and a fumble. His 215.8 yards passing per game doesn't rank him in the top 10 ... of the SEC, let alone country.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Monday that back-up KJ Lacey would get more first-team reps in practice this week. No one would be surprised if Lacey saw the field against Ole Miss.

This wasn't the plan.

"I told [Sarkisian] I expect myself to play better," Manning said.

"I need to see a better version of Arch Manning," Sark added.

In turn, Manning (as well as the rest of the team) needs to see a better version of Sarkisian. It's not like the Longhorns can run the ball either -- their 3.64 yards per carry rank 13th in the SEC.

So how much of Texas' offensive collapse belongs to the quarterback, and how much belongs to the coach who recruited him, developed him and designed the system around him?

"The player is in there, and it's our job to try to get it out of him," Sarkisian said.

Given his time with the program and that amount of complementary talent around him, including offseason transfers such as wide receiver Cam Coleman, should the coach still be treating this as a developmental project?

"Well, I think that's our job as coaches, and that's part for Arch, the player, right?" Sarkisian said. "There's two parts to this. Right?"

To Manning's credit, he isn't shying away from any of it. When you have his last name and you play at this level of a program, there is no hiding from the spotlight.

"I haven't put good film on tape for the last five weeks, and I'm going to be better," Manning said. "I'm going to be better for my teammates. I'm going to be better for myself and I'm going to be better for my coaches."

How does he get on track?

"Just [start] letting it rip," Manning said. "Our backs are against the wall right now, and there's no place I'd rather be. Just let her rip. I'm going to die on the hill of, I'm letting it rip."

This was supposed to be a surgical marriage -- potential coached by potential, talent surrounded by talent, Texas finally being Texas.

Now it's down to "let it rip" against the Rebels.

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/50240573/arch-manning-steve-sarkisian-texas-pressure

[MBHORNSFAN]

We should go back and look at the articles from this time last year. They all say the same thing the ones now are saying.   Rinse and repeat.  Insanity is where we are..

Edited 1 hour ago by MBHORNSFAN

[Guts]

Blergh is about all I can say at this point. 

[JMarquette]

6 minutes ago, MBHORNSFAN said:

We should go back and look at the articles from this time last year. They all say the same thing the ones now are saying.   Rinse and repeat.  Insanity is where we are..

I think it’s actually worse this year considering we have a second year starting QB, spent significant amounts of money to “upgrade” an offensive room for it to only look worse, and run back position coaches who clearly weren’t competent the previous years. Last year was the trial run, this year is the failure. 

Edited 1 hour ago by JMarquette

[MBHORNSFAN]

1 minute ago, JMarquette said:

I think it’s actually worse this year considering we have a second year starting QB, spent significant amounts of money to “upgrade” an offensive room for it to only look worse, and run back position coaches who clearly weren’t competent the previous years. Last year was the trial run, this year is the failure. 

 

All fair. 

[John F.]

I really hope Arch lets it rip

 

[Hookem72]

Just now, John F. said:

I really hope Arch lets it rip

 

Perfect meme for this. 

[Rockin TL]

22 minutes ago, Blake Munroe said:

And, finally, why can't Texas be more than just a program of endless hype and money? Despite all its resources, especially in these free-spending days, it has captured just a single national title since 1970.

The easy answer for this is the hiring process for which Texas does not have one when it comes to football coaches. It's whatever flavor of the month the BMD's that aren't fatigued from the prior flavor of the month that was selected by a different set of BMD's. Look at every hire since Akers and you can see why we continually fail to hire a great coach, Mack Brown was even odd circumstances around his hiring.

[Connor Vaughn]

The sark and arch experiment has run its course. What a waste of a season. 

[JMarquette]

3 minutes ago, Rockin TL said:

The easy answer for this is the hiring process for which Texas does not have one when it comes to football coaches. It's whatever flavor of the month the BMD's that aren't fatigued from the prior flavor of the month that was selected by a different set of BMD's. Look at every hire since Akers and you can see why we continually fail to hire a great coach, Mack Brown was even odd circumstances around his hiring.

CDC will get at least one more (if and when Sark goes), and I anticipate that will be a good hire. 

[4thandFive]

Arch has let it rips. He keeps misfiring. It’s time to see someone new back there.

[Rockin TL]

3 minutes ago, JMarquette said:

CDC will get at least one more (if and when Sark goes), and I anticipate that will be a good hire. 

Bold to assume CDC will be anything but a figurehead in that process as history tells us it will be someone above his pay grade or some BMD faction making that decision.

Edited 1 hour ago by Rockin TL

[ZmoneyJD14]

It’s never. Arch sucks 

[Beldar]

This last two weeks have sucked big time, Lost two games we should have won and are in trouble for sure. Think I am right on this but the damn National press including ESPN and SEC network relish in attacking us for any reason they can find. Hell , almost all of College football top teams have been upset and lost games they should not have. Even Georgia lost to Auburn at home not to mention Oregon losing to Okie State who had just lost to Tulsa that Arkie beat. Half the top 20 lost last weekend. Tenn clobbered Bama . Even our own fans seem to want to fire the coaches every time we lose. Or bench someone. I am disappointed how things are going as much as anyone but am not going to attack our own. Bama fans are just like us but they have reason to be spoiled We don't . 

Edited 1 hour ago by Beldar

[TexasLonghorns]

18 minutes ago, JMarquette said:

CDC will get at least one more (if and when Sark goes), and I anticipate that will be a good hire. 

The same CDC who wanted Sonny Dykes? CDC has made some great hires, but football is a different animal. It’s one thing to lure an elite coach in another sport with an extra $200K. It’s another to pry away an elite football coach making millions. Money alone doesn’t guarantee a great hire.

[JMarquette]

3 minutes ago, TexasLonghorns said:

The same CDC who wanted Sonny Dykes? CDC has made some great hires, but football is a different animal. It’s one thing to lure an elite coach in another sport with an extra $200K. It’s another to pry away an elite football coach making millions. Money alone doesn’t guarantee a great hire.

Outside of Kirby and Cig, who is elite? You’re not going to pry away someone from success like that. Any coaching hire is going to be a gamble, there isn’t guaranteed success for any football hire. 
 

p.s. I’m not listening to any “Marcus Freeman elite” talk, the guy is Sark with some melanin. 

Edited 45 minutes ago by JMarquette

[TexasLonghorns]

1 minute ago, JMarquette said:

Outside of Kirby and Cig, who is elite? You’re not going to pry away someone from success like that. Any coaching hire is going to be a gamble, there isn’t guaranteed success for any football hire. 

You’re making my point. Elite football coaches are difficult to pry away, and every hire is a gamble. That’s exactly why CDC’s success in other sports doesn’t guarantee he’ll nail the next football hire. So confidently predicting or anticipating it’ll be a good hire is a stretch. Nobody knows.

[JMarquette]

2 minutes ago, TexasLonghorns said:

You’re making my point. Elite football coaches are difficult to pry away, and every hire is a gamble. That’s exactly why CDC’s success in other sports doesn’t guarantee he’ll nail the next football hire. So confidently predicting or anticipating it’ll be a good hire is a stretch. Nobody knows.

Fair enough, but I don’t think you need an elite coach to win it all. They just have to be good enough for 1 year. 

[SB21]

I was hoping Arch would be another Colt McCoy for us but seeing it play out closer to Garrett Gilbert is just painful….

[Rockin TL]

Just now, TexasLonghorns said:

You’re making my point. Elite football coaches are difficult to pry away, and every hire is a gamble. That’s exactly why CDC’s success in other sports doesn’t guarantee he’ll nail the next football hire. So confidently predicting or anticipating it’ll be a good hire is a stretch. Nobody knows.

My current short list would be:

Bob Chesney

Willie Fritz

Rhett Lashlee

Jake Dickert

Glenn Schumann

Marcus Freeman

Eli Drinkwitz

Will Stein

[ImDirtydan01]

I’m curious, why does Glenn Schumann keep coming up? I know he’s a very good DC, but are we sure that will translate well? It seems like outside of a select few, we’ve seen too many DC to HC types flame out. 

[drag worm]

If we trot out the same game plan of a short lived script and nothing built in that plays to Arch’s strengths and mitigated his inability to process reads after it this weekend we deserve to lose. We need to see noticeable positive developments on offense through the second and third quarter. Anything short of noticeable changes is tilting at windmills insanity. 

[HalfmileHorn]

One of the things that stand out from the article is "captured just a single national title since 1970". This is more telling about our determination and focus than anything else. I had hopes (perhaps misguided) that we would improve that record with Sark. 

[TexasLonghorns]

23 minutes ago, Rockin TL said:

My current short list would be:

Bob Chesney

Willie Fritz

Rhett Lashlee

Jake Dickert

Glenn Schumann

Marcus Freeman

Eli Drinkwitz

Will Stein

I wouldn’t completely rule out someone like Ryan Day. If Ohio State’s season goes sideways with Sayin out, the pressure on Day could ramp up again. He’s won a national title, knows how to run an elite program, and has dealt with championship expectations. That’s the kind of proven coach I could see CDC pursuing.

[Rockin TL]

22 minutes ago, ImDirtydan01 said:

I’m curious, why does Glenn Schumann keep coming up? I know he’s a very good DC, but are we sure that will translate well? It seems like outside of a select few, we’ve seen too many DC to HC types flame out. 

My reasoning is we have just had 2 offensive guru wonder boys flame out. I think it's time to go defensive oriented football coach, If I were to rank the above list I posted with this in mind I'd go:

1. Bob Chesney - Younger
2. Willie Fritz - Older
3. Marcus Freeman - Fantastic resume but some questionable losses
4. Jake Dickert
5. Glen Schumann
6. Will Stein
7. Rhett Lashlee
8. Eli Drinkwitz

Edited 7 minutes ago by Rockin TL