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Booger McFarland reacts to 'most alarming thing' about Arch Manning

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz22 hours agoNickSchultz_7
Texas QB Arch Manning
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s been an up-and-down start to the Arch Manning Era at Texas after he took over as the Longhorns’ full-time starting quarterback. Amid more struggles against UTEP on Saturday, ESPN’s Booger McFarland shared his reaction.

McFarland questioned Manning’s apparent accuracy issues after a stretch of nine straight incompletions in Saturday’s game. The former top recruit went just 5-for-16 for 69 yards, along with an interception, in the first half against UTEP. However, he had two rushing touchdowns.

McFarland had questions about accuracy, though. He shared those thoughts via social media during halftime.

“Thru almost 3 games the most alarming thing is he is a very inaccurate qb consistently,” McFarland wrote on X.

Manning struggled in his season debut against Ohio State in Week 1. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown to go with an interception as the Buckeyes came away with the 14-7 victory. In Week 2 against San Jose State, Manning looked a bit better, going 19 of 30 for 295 yards and four touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown.

However, amid his struggles against UTEP, the fans made their voices heard. At one point, boos rang out from the faithful at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the goal needs to be finding a rhythm and sticking to it. That said, he added Manning could use the boos as motivation.

“We’ve just got to get a little rhythm at quarterback,” Sarkisian told ESPN heading into halftime. “I told Arch before the season, you’ve never really been a quarterback until they boo you. He got booed in the first half. Now, he can start playing.”

Despite the up-and-down start to the year from Arch Manning and the offense, Sarkisian said this week he still sees a high ceiling for the unit. That’s where it falls on the coaches to get the maximum potential out of the group and reach that level of production.

“Offensively, we can all feel and see potential,” Sarkisian said. “Now it’s our job as coaches to continue to push them and try to propel them so that we can drop the word potential and say this is who we are. We see glimpses of it. We’re seeing things that definitely excites us, but we’re seeing things that can be frustrating too as coaches. That’s our job as coaches, to find this level of consistency on the offensive side of the ball.”