Steve Sarkisian sees improvement, but Arch Manning calls performance in Week 2 win ‘still sloppy’

After a disappointing Week 1 performance against Ohio State, Arch Manning led Texas to their first win of the season over San Jose State in Week 2. He stuffed the stat-sheet in the process.

The sophomore quarterback completed 19-of-30 pass attempts for four touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 23 yards and a touchdown.

That sounds all well and good, but Manning wasn’t satisfied. Speaking with the ESPN broadcast team afterwards, he was critical of his play, believing the Longhorns offense has to clean it up, and it starts with himself.

“Once again, not very good. We’ve got to clean up a lot of things,” Manning stated, regarding his play against the Spartans. “Some guys made plays, which is good, but overall it was a little sloppy. … I thought I made more plays and attacked more, but it was still sloppy all around.”

Even though Manning didn’t love what he put on tape, his coach in Steve Sarkisian was more than satisfied. He called his quarterback’s performance “really good” while speaking with ESPN, seeing a bunch of bright spots against San Jose State.

“I thought he had a really good game today,” Sarkisian added. “He took advantage of some throws down the field. Lesson learned on a protection breakdown — forcing the ball — but we’re going to have some of those growing pains. I thought he used his legs well, scored a touchdown, threw it downfield, and created some explosive plays.”

The good news for Manning? He has at least two more inferior opponents on the schedule until SEC play begins. Texas will play UTEP next week, and they’ll follow that up with a game against Sam Houston afterwards.

That’s plenty of time for the quarterback to clean up his game before the Longhorns play Florida. The Gators will be followed by Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and ultimately Georgia. Manning will need to be at his best for those conference showdowns.

The potential is certainly there, but it’s up to Sarkisian and company to cultivate it. Manning’s flashed in the past, like he did against San Jose State, but the Longhorns can ill afford another performance like their quarterback’s play against Ohio State in Week 1.

Thankfully, every team doesn’t have a former NFL head coach and Super Bowl-winning coordinator as their top defensive mind like the Buckeyes. Manning will be looking for more multi-touchdown days in the next couple weeks, and for a more positive outlook on his play, as well.