Brent Venables offers high praise to Arch Manning ahead of Red River Rivalry

All eyes will be on the Red River Rivalry this weekend. How Texas QB Arch Manning fares against Brent Venables’ Oklahoma defense will be among several of the top storylines heading into this matchup.

Before Saturday’s shootout, the Sooners head coach spoke highly of the Longhorns QB1. Despite the loss, Venables was impressed with Manning’s never-say-die attitude against Florida last week.

“Very talented, tough kid,” Venables said of Manning. “I loved how he battled and was able to bring his team back last week on the road in Gainesville — it’s a very difficult place to play.

“They (Florida) were charged up and excited to see Texas. And man, I just appreciate and respect the courage that I watched him play with as a young player. And hadn’t been in that position really much, if at all. I thought, again, what you saw even on tape at Ohio State, where he got within a score, having a chance to go win there. Same thing last week.”

Venables said that Manning has tremendous arm talent and is a great athlete. He praised his pocket presence and his ability to not only scramble, but lower his shoulder and fight for extra yards. His speed and quickness makes him a dual-threat player.

Even when facing a deficit last week at The Swamp, Manning was able to lead Texas to a pair of touchdown drives in the second half. Each touchdown cut the game to one score, but the Florida offense continued to answer the bell.

In the end, Manning finished the game completing 16-of-29 passing attempts for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Manning now has over 1,000 yards passing on the season.

“He’s a leader. Heavy is the crown,” Venables continued. “That position has to carry a lot of weight. And he’s done it like a champ, in my opinion.

“You’ve got a small sample size, but that’s who he’s been. He comes from a lineage, (but that) doesn’t guarantee anything, but he comes from a lineage that, that’s who they’ve been, and, so far, that’s what I’ve seen. Toughness and courage, the edginess, the response. All of those things are indicative of what I’m talking about.”

How Manning performs on arguably the biggest stage of his career to this point could be indicative of the outcome of the game. Kickoff between the Sooners and Longhorns is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC.