Louis Riddick diagnoses Arch Manning early struggles, sheds light on Steve Sarkisian's reaction

Amid a rough start to his time as Texas’ starting quarterback, Arch Manning’s mechanics became an area of conversation. ESPN’s Louis Riddick diagnosed what went wrong to start the year while also shedding some light on Steve Sarkisian’s reaction.

Riddick said Manning’s focus had to remain on playing in rhythm. Through the first few weeks of the season, he’d tend to get ahead of himself and play out of sync as a result.

If the mechanics can settle down, the accuracy will follow, Riddick said. Sarkisian also told the ESPN analyst that Manning has to trust his instincts, and his “cerebral” nature will help with that.

“When the first read was not there and he was trying to work his way through his progressions, you saw his feet just get all over the place,” Riddick said during the first quarter of Saturday’s game at Florida. “Lower body not tied to his upper body. His accuracy suffered.

“[Sarkisian] said, look, just trust the fact that you know what to do. He said he’s one of the most cerebral guys he’s ever coached. He knows this offense, he makes these throws all the times in practice and Arch said himself, ‘I just need to let it rip.'”

Manning started to showcase some of that confidence on Texas’ first possession of the game. He connected with Parker Livingstone for a big gain to get into Florida territory, showcasing his arm strength.

Riddick pointed out what happens when Manning is able to settle in and play his game. It was also something he worked on during the bye week ahead of the matchup in Gainesville.

“This is exactly what Steve Sarkisian wanted Arch to see,” Riddick said. “Just let it rip. Trust your reads. Don’t play rushed. When he plays rushed, he said that’s where his mechanics break down and his accuracy goes out the window. He worked hard on that in the bye week. Good start for him.”

Arch Manning entered Saturday’s game at The Swamp with 888 passing yards and nine touchdowns, to three interceptions, with 123 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He appeared to get back on track ahead of the bye with a strong showing against Sam Houston State, throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns in a 55-0 blowout win.