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Texas fans boo Arch Manning, Longhorns amid sluggish first half vs. UTEP

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh2 hours agogriffin_mcveigh
ut_vs_san_jose_state-7082_manning
Arch Manning (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Texas fans hold high expectations of an offense run by Steve Sarkisian. Especially when somebody with the last name Manning is back there at quarterback following a gargantuan amount of preseason hype. But thus far against UTEP, the Longhorns have been anything but good.

People inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium are fed up. After another three-and-out late in the second quarter, the entire offense was booed off the field. Arch Manning is right in the middle of the situation, failing to connect with a pass catcher in a long, long time.

Certainly not what anyone expects at any point this season, let alone with UTEP on the other side of the field. You can check out the full sequence here, in what is turning into a weird scene in Austin.

If there is one thing to get the Texas fans back cheering again, it’s a touchdown from Manning himself. A poor UTEP punt and a 15-yard penalty gave Sarkisian a chance to get more points before the half. He kept the ball on the ground, even calling his quarterback’s number. And with six seconds left, Manning scrambled into the end zone for a massive touchdown. The score reads 14-3 at the break.

Quite a difference from when Manning arrived on campus. Nobody has been more popular since Manning joined the program, growing even more this offseason. Everyone eagerly awaited for him to take over as the starting quarterback.

Now, some adversity in the face of the third-year player. How he responds moving forward will be interesting to watch, and not just against UTEP. A big 30 minutes ahead in Austin to regain some confidence — in both the stands and on the Texas sideline.

More on Arch Manning, poor performance early against UTEP

Manning only has five completions to his name, coming on 16 attempts. A total of 69 yards brings a lousy average of 4.3 yards per attempt. A wild interception deep in the red zone tells a big part of the story as well, scrambling for his life, and then dangerously firing a ball right to a UTEP defender.

If there is any positive to take away, it’s two touchdowns being produced on the ground. One came on a nice read option, heading toward the corner of the endzone. Manning then closed out the first half with a score as only one second remained on the clock.