Urban Meyer defends Arch Manning amid wave of backlash: 'Let him grow as a player'

Following a loss to Ohio State in the season opener, Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been subjected to all manner of criticism. Too much of it, according to former coach Urban Meyer.

Meyer joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday and opined that Texas’ offensive struggles had as much to do with the personnel around Manning as the quarterback himself. He explained.

“Well, the reality is that the quarterbacks get far too much credit and far too much blame,” Meyer said. “There weren’t people open, Colin. The maturation of the Buckeye defense, I don’t want to say I was shocked, because they lost five or six players and a coordinator and they looked phenomenal.”

Meyer would go on to discuss Arch Manning’s play in more detail. The Texas gunslinger finished the game 17-of-30 passing for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“But I went back and I watched every snap of Arch Manning,” Meyer said. “And I keep hearing about potential first pick in the NFL Draft, Heisman Trophy, and I keep saying, ‘Stop this. That’s not fair to this guy.’ This guy, if you put any other name on the back of his jersey, let him grow as a player, he’ll be a much different player in four to five weeks.”

For the former Ohio State coach, Saturday in The Shoe was all about an environment that Arch Manning has not yet built up a tolerance to. It takes time to fully learn a system, then go execute it to perfection on the road in a hostile environment.

Whatever experience Manning had heading into that game was not enough for what he walked into. That was playoff-caliber football.

“He wasn’t ready for that. But even with Julian Sayin, you can’t be ready for that,” Meyer said. “Someone said, ‘Well, he started two games.’ No, he didn’t. This is his first start. When you’re playing Mississippi State, that was not very good last year, and another team, those don’t count as you’re starting in The Horseshoe in front of millions of people on TV. He’ll be fine.”

Meyer once again circled back around to the help for Arch Manning. It just wasn’t there in the way it needed to be.

“I was a little disappointed with the offensive skill of Texas. I didn’t see guys open,” Meyer said. “I didn’t see the explosiveness you expect out of them. So there’s a couple common denominators of a great quarterback and they all say it: ‘They’ve got great players around them.’ And maybe there are. I didn’t see that.

“Once again, we’re going to find out more in the next few weeks. Really not in the next few weeks, in about four or five weeks when they get in the SEC.”