Kirk Herbstreit sends message to Arch Manning, Texas before matchup vs. Florida

Arch Manning has a chance to keep the good vibes rolling for Texas as the Longhorns visit Florida Saturday. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Manning doesn’t have to light the world on fire to get back into the swing of things.

Manning had a solid performance against Sam Houston State prior to the bye week, turning the corner a bit. He’s struggled, mostly, with accuracy and has had uneven performances as a full-time starter.

Granted, the hype around Manning coming into the season was unlike we’ve seen with any player recently, so it was tough from the get-go. Still, Manning has an opportunity to pick apart a talented Florida defense Saturday in Gainesville.

“You have Oklahoma coming up next week, and if you want to go into that game, you can’t look past Florida, obviously, but you got to be able to do what we just talked about with Ty Simpson. That to me, if I’m Arch Manning, is success. It’s not about throwing for 300 yards, it’s not about throwing for four touchdowns. It’s about just getting that confidence back and that rhythm back, about throwing accurately when the receivers are there, you make the throw,” Herbstreit said on SportsCenter.

“You don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to live up to these unrealistic expectations that the media, the hype around you created. Just go out and play the game. And I think that’s what Sark has been trying, really, since the Ohio State game, is just cut it loose, play with confidence.”

In four games this season, Manning has 888 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 61.3% completion percentage. He also has 123 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns as Texas sports a 3-1 record.

“If you watch the game, you’re going to know what success is,” Herbstreit said. “If you walk out of there and you feel like again, he’s not throwing for 400 yards, but he’s just playing with accuracy. Third and seven? First down. And by the way, Florida is a really good defense. They don’t have to play a ton of man to man. Gonna make it hard on Arch today, especially on the road.”

Manning and No. 9 Texas hit the road Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET to take on Florida. The Gators search for an upset while Manning and crew look to keep it rolling.