Jump to content

Arch Manning: Doing his best JAG impression to fool scouts


Recommended Posts

Posted
9 hours ago, Ricky Butler said:

I'm here to pull for Arch, and I can't imagine what he's going through. Lots of pressure and expectations. It's painful, but "we'll see" as the Old Zen Master said. What I'm not here for is Bobby, Gerry, Scipio, Paul, Ian, Eric, et-fucking-cetera to try and diagnose the situation for me. You've already failed up to this point. Sorry you have to fill 15 hours of podcasts a week but your license is temporarily revoked. 

EGAT has been a complete waste of time, if you're looking for Texas Football analysis, for quite some time. The greatest enjoyment I got from that cast last year was thinking about all the money lost by that gambler he had on before the first Geogia game.

Posted (edited)

Who wants some sunshine?!? Arch's first five games as good or better than Peyton, Eli, and Archie. 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6633988/2025/09/17/arch-manning-texas-stats-peyton-eli-archie/

image.png.a5aa0aaf6f4beb6ba1fca66f358c8d0b.png

Spoiler

How Arch Manning’s first 5 starts compare to uncles Peyton, Eli and grandfather Archie
Manny Navarro
Sept. 17, 2025 6:00 am CDT


 


Arch Manning didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the worst start of his college career.

Instead, Texas’ starting quarterback hung out with family and friends like he does every weekend to “get some comic relief.”

“Saturday night was frustrating, but I know I’m better than that,” Manning told reporters on Monday, referring to his struggles (11-of-25 passing for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception) in a 27-10 victory over UTEP that drew boos from the home crowd in Austin.

 


“We’re going to get it clicking, and I’m excited to get things going.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian expected adversity would strike Manning this season. Sarkisian said as much this summer at SEC media days.

He also said he expected Manning’s life experiences would prepare him for the tough times.

Those times have arrived.

Manning ranks 83rd nationally in passing efficiency. He’s completed only 55.3 percent of his attempts for 579 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions through three starts this season — underwhelming numbers for the preseason Heisman favorite.

But he’s hardly the first Manning to get off to a slow start when handed the reins of an SEC offense.

Uncle Peyton was benched in his fifth career start as a true freshman at Tennessee in 1994.

Uncle Eli put up sterling numbers his first season as the starter at Ole Miss in 2001 as a redshirt sophomore, but he lost three of his last four games and threw eight interceptions over his final five starts.

Grandpa Archie threw 17 interceptions in his first season as the starting quarterback at Ole Miss in 1968.

So, maybe, slow starts are just the way things go for the Mannings.

We went down memory lane to review how all the Mannings performed through their first five starts. Two of them required a membership to Newspapers.com to sift through old clippings.

Here’s what we learned.

image.png.4a13c6ae3dc67944c301394117b09160.png


The first Manning
When Archie Manning played, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity team.

Manning played quarterback and cornerback for the freshman team at Ole Miss in 1967. He threw for 497 yards and seven touchdowns and intercepted four passes on defense in four games against freshman teams from Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi and LSU.

The hype around Archie’s first season on the varsity at Ole Miss was fueled by longtime Rebels head coach Johnny Vaught, who said his team was going to spread the field and run the option with its athletic quarterback.

 


“This kid is really talented,” Vaught told the Associated Press before the team’s opener at Memphis State. “He’s the best I’ve ever had at this point in his career — and I’ve had some All-Americans.”

Archie led the Rebels to a 21-7 win at Memphis State to open the season, completing 8 of 14 attempts for two touchdowns. He also ran for 67 yards and one touchdown.

“All I can say about Manning after the first game is that he did what was expected of him,” Vaught told the AP.

The next two weeks, Archie led Ole Miss to wins against Kentucky and No. 11 Alabama at home — the latter a 10-8 thriller played in front of the largest crowd (47,152) to date in school history. It was Ole Miss’ first win over Bama in 58 years. Manning threw a second-quarter touchdown pass but completed only 11 of 26 attempts. He ran for 31 yards.

Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:
“Ole Miss deserved to win,” Alabama legendary coach Bear Bryant said after the game. “Right now, Manning is a better runner than he is a passer. But he can do both very well.”

Ole Miss lost the next week 21-7 at 17th-ranked Georgia, and Manning once again failed to connect with his receivers, completing only 10 of 26 attempts for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

In his fifth start, though, Archie set school records for completions (21) and passing yards (255) and rushed for 66 yards and one TD in a 21-13 win over Southern Miss. Two weeks later, Manning set the SEC passing record by throwing for 345 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-24 upset over No. 14 LSU.

“At this stage of his career, he’s the finest quarterback I’ve ever had,” Vaught told the AP after that performance.

Manning’s final numbers as a first-year starter: 127-of-263 passing (48.3 percent) for 1,510 yards with eight touchdowns and 17 interceptions to go along with 208 rushing yards and five scores.

 


He set another SEC record the following season, accumulating 540 total yards of offense (436 passing, 104 rushing) in a 33-32 loss to Alabama, a mark that was broken by Johnny Manziel in 2012.

Manning finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Heisman vote during his last two years at Ole Miss.

 

The second Manning
Peyton Manning, meanwhile, didn’t have the luxury of redshirting as a freshman.

Tennessee started the 1994 season with Jerry Colquitt as the starter and Todd Helton — yes, MLB Hall of Famer Todd Helton — as the backup. Colquitt was injured in the opener, and Helton went down in Week 3.

Tennessee started 1-3, with losses at No. 14 UCLA, top-ranked Florida and at Mississippi State before Manning took over as the starter at home against 17th-ranked Washington State. He earned the nod from coach Phillip Fulmer ahead of fellow freshman Branndon Stewart, who would get a couple of series per game by design as Manning’s backup.

Vols offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe simplified the offense for his freshmen by cutting down the size of the playbook. Manning was mostly a game manager in his first start, completing 7 of 14 attempts for 79 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. But his team pulled off the upset of the Cougars, 10-9.

Play: Video

Nobody expected Peyton to be elite right away, but the expectation was that he would develop into one of the nation’s best.

“If Peyton and his daddy were the same age, his daddy would have to watch him play,” former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer told The Knoxville News-Sentinel in February 1994. “He’s the best high school quarterback I’ve ever seen.”

Manning played better in his second college start the following week against Arkansas, completing 12 of 18 passes for 157 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. But he lost his third start at home a week later against 10th-ranked Alabama. Manning threw two interceptions in the loss and had a chance to win the game but overthrew a receiver deep in Bama territory.

 


After a bye week, Manning won his next two starts, at South Carolina and at home versus Memphis.

He completed his freshman season by winning his last three starts and going 7-1 as a starter. He completed 61.8 percent of his 144 pass attempts for 1,141 yards, 11 touchdowns and six picks.

Manning earned third-team All-America honors the next two seasons and was a first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year in 1997.

The third Manning
By the time Eli Manning was set to take over as the starter at Ole Miss as a redshirt sophomore in 2001, his older brother was a Pro Bowler with the Indianapolis Colts. His success was considered a formality.

“He’s got a pro arm just like his dad and brother, and there’s no doubt he’s going to be a tremendous quarterback,” Murray State coach Joe Pannunzio said before Manning completed 20 of 23 attempts for 271 yards and five touchdowns in Ole Miss’ 49-14 win over the Racers in the opener.

“There’s a lot of pressure on that kid. People at Ole Miss have been waiting a long time to put Manning on the back of somebody’s jersey.”

Eli lost his second career start at Auburn, 27-21, but he threw for 265 yards and rallied the Rebels from a 27-0 deficit to make it interesting in the fourth quarter.

“He still has a ways to go to get to where his brother is, but he’s going to be very good,” Auburn linebacker Dontarrious Thomas told the AP after the game.


Eli Manning was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Manning responded by winning his next three starts, against Kentucky, Arkansas State and Alabama.

Eli’s totals through his first five starts were the best among all four Mannings: 105-of-168 passing (62 percent) for 1,398 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.

His season totals: 259-of-408 passing (63.5 percent) for 2,948 yards, 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Eli won the Maxwell Award and earned second-team All-America honors in 2023, his final season at Ole Miss.

 


The fourth Manning
Now, imagine being Arch Manning and having all those expectations to live up to.

After appearing in only two games as a true freshman, he played a bigger role last season and made his first two career starts when Quinn Ewers got hurt early in the season.

His first start, a 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe, wasn’t stellar statistically. He finished 15-of-29 passing for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His next start against Mississippi State was the sharpest passing performance of his career: 26-of-31 passing for 325 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-13 victory.

His next three starts all took place this season: a 14-7 loss at No. 3 Ohio State, a 38-7 win over San Jose State in which he threw four touchdowns and last weekend’s boo-riddled performance against UTEP that included a stretch of 10 consecutive incomplete passes.

Manning told reporters in Texas on Monday his struggles against UTEP were more mental than physical. He also said he had “a really good talk” with his coach over the weekend.

“Having him just be honest with me and tell me what he thinks and how I can get better, it’s great to have that back and forth with the head coach,” Manning said. “It’s gonna come. Not worried. Just gotta get back to playing my game.”

 

Edited by TxEx84
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 2
Posted

Maybe his bad play is sandbagging on purpose to throw our enemies off. It’s 6d chess by dark and milwee. 
 

Did any of you geniuses think of that? Of course not. 

/sarcasm 

Posted
23 minutes ago, Im_smarter_then_you said:

If he looks like ass this week do we insert Caldwell?  This version of Arch likely loses to ou

What an incredibly original thought and observation, I wonder how many more people can say the same thing 100 different ways between now and Saturday!

 

  • Haha 2
  • Fuck You 1
Posted (edited)
18 hours ago, Gucci_Suit said:

I’m sure that this has been mentioned before. 

But Sark is fucking up the offense in general by going for 4th and 6 bullshit. If you kick the ball go up 10-0 and reset; the end result is likely 17-0 and it’s on. But you over engineer it and frustrate the entire team and then tell them that they are trying to do too much. Because you put them in that situation. 

Take points. Don’t ever go for 4th unless you’re about to lose or you’ve been pushing people around and you’re about to destroy their will. That’s not what we are doing.

Choir, hear my sermon. 

4th down attempts against UTEP

4th & 4 UTEP 44- Incomplete pass to Wingo

4th & 1 UTEP 22- Gibson first down run, drive ends in TD

4th & 1 UTEP 22 again- Gibson first down run again

4th & 2 UTEP 10 (same drive as above)- Manning missing a wide open Livingstone, INT

4th & 2 UTEP 34- Manning missing wide open Livingstone on post route

 

The first and the last ones were somewhat in no man's land, which is usually a go for it. Maybe the first one is a punt, but against a team like UTEP, probably not. 

If we kick FGs on the two drives featuring the middle 3 attempts, we end up with 6 points vs the 7 we ended up scoring.

I'm not disagreeing with the overall premise of kicking more once we start playing real teams. Just saying none of the 4th down decisions last Saturday were outrageous. 

Edited by Hookem2147
  • Hook 'Em 3
Posted

Screens and a better run game are going to sort out Arch. We need screens to counter that stat showing he’s been under pressure 36% of his snaps. With Wisner coming back, the run game should improve even if OL continues to struggle. This week is basically a glorified scrimmage. I think everyone needs to calm down and the benching talk is going to be looked at like those people that wanted to move VY to WR
 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
10 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

Screens and a better run game are going to sort out Arch. We need screens to counter that stat showing he’s been under pressure 36% of his snaps. With Wisner coming back, the run game should improve even if OL continues to struggle. This week is basically a glorified scrimmage. I think everyone needs to calm down and the benching talk is going to be looked at like those people that wanted to move VY to WR
 

Vince still flashed promising signs against good competition. He had stinkerslike Mizzou 04, but he also was responsible for a ton of highlights. What has Arch showed thus far this year that gives us anything to look forward to? I'm not saying he can't turn it around, but looking that bad against UTEP when you're in your 3rd year on campus is the exact opposite of promising. 

Posted
1 hour ago, TxEx84 said:

Who wants some sunshine?!? Arch's first five games as good or better than Peyton, Eli, and Archie. 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6633988/2025/09/17/arch-manning-texas-stats-peyton-eli-archie/

image.png.a5aa0aaf6f4beb6ba1fca66f358c8d0b.png

  Reveal hidden contents

How Arch Manning’s first 5 starts compare to uncles Peyton, Eli and grandfather Archie
Manny Navarro
Sept. 17, 2025 6:00 am CDT


 


Arch Manning didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the worst start of his college career.

Instead, Texas’ starting quarterback hung out with family and friends like he does every weekend to “get some comic relief.”

“Saturday night was frustrating, but I know I’m better than that,” Manning told reporters on Monday, referring to his struggles (11-of-25 passing for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception) in a 27-10 victory over UTEP that drew boos from the home crowd in Austin.

 


“We’re going to get it clicking, and I’m excited to get things going.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian expected adversity would strike Manning this season. Sarkisian said as much this summer at SEC media days.

He also said he expected Manning’s life experiences would prepare him for the tough times.

Those times have arrived.

Manning ranks 83rd nationally in passing efficiency. He’s completed only 55.3 percent of his attempts for 579 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions through three starts this season — underwhelming numbers for the preseason Heisman favorite.

But he’s hardly the first Manning to get off to a slow start when handed the reins of an SEC offense.

Uncle Peyton was benched in his fifth career start as a true freshman at Tennessee in 1994.

Uncle Eli put up sterling numbers his first season as the starter at Ole Miss in 2001 as a redshirt sophomore, but he lost three of his last four games and threw eight interceptions over his final five starts.

Grandpa Archie threw 17 interceptions in his first season as the starting quarterback at Ole Miss in 1968.

So, maybe, slow starts are just the way things go for the Mannings.

We went down memory lane to review how all the Mannings performed through their first five starts. Two of them required a membership to Newspapers.com to sift through old clippings.

Here’s what we learned.

image.png.4a13c6ae3dc67944c301394117b09160.png


The first Manning
When Archie Manning played, freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity team.

Manning played quarterback and cornerback for the freshman team at Ole Miss in 1967. He threw for 497 yards and seven touchdowns and intercepted four passes on defense in four games against freshman teams from Alabama, Vanderbilt, Mississippi and LSU.

The hype around Archie’s first season on the varsity at Ole Miss was fueled by longtime Rebels head coach Johnny Vaught, who said his team was going to spread the field and run the option with its athletic quarterback.

 


“This kid is really talented,” Vaught told the Associated Press before the team’s opener at Memphis State. “He’s the best I’ve ever had at this point in his career — and I’ve had some All-Americans.”

Archie led the Rebels to a 21-7 win at Memphis State to open the season, completing 8 of 14 attempts for two touchdowns. He also ran for 67 yards and one touchdown.

“All I can say about Manning after the first game is that he did what was expected of him,” Vaught told the AP.

The next two weeks, Archie led Ole Miss to wins against Kentucky and No. 11 Alabama at home — the latter a 10-8 thriller played in front of the largest crowd (47,152) to date in school history. It was Ole Miss’ first win over Bama in 58 years. Manning threw a second-quarter touchdown pass but completed only 11 of 26 attempts. He ran for 31 yards.

Stay in the know by selecting your interests on The Athletic:
“Ole Miss deserved to win,” Alabama legendary coach Bear Bryant said after the game. “Right now, Manning is a better runner than he is a passer. But he can do both very well.”

Ole Miss lost the next week 21-7 at 17th-ranked Georgia, and Manning once again failed to connect with his receivers, completing only 10 of 26 attempts for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

In his fifth start, though, Archie set school records for completions (21) and passing yards (255) and rushed for 66 yards and one TD in a 21-13 win over Southern Miss. Two weeks later, Manning set the SEC passing record by throwing for 345 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-24 upset over No. 14 LSU.

“At this stage of his career, he’s the finest quarterback I’ve ever had,” Vaught told the AP after that performance.

Manning’s final numbers as a first-year starter: 127-of-263 passing (48.3 percent) for 1,510 yards with eight touchdowns and 17 interceptions to go along with 208 rushing yards and five scores.

 


He set another SEC record the following season, accumulating 540 total yards of offense (436 passing, 104 rushing) in a 33-32 loss to Alabama, a mark that was broken by Johnny Manziel in 2012.

Manning finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Heisman vote during his last two years at Ole Miss.

 

The second Manning
Peyton Manning, meanwhile, didn’t have the luxury of redshirting as a freshman.

Tennessee started the 1994 season with Jerry Colquitt as the starter and Todd Helton — yes, MLB Hall of Famer Todd Helton — as the backup. Colquitt was injured in the opener, and Helton went down in Week 3.

Tennessee started 1-3, with losses at No. 14 UCLA, top-ranked Florida and at Mississippi State before Manning took over as the starter at home against 17th-ranked Washington State. He earned the nod from coach Phillip Fulmer ahead of fellow freshman Branndon Stewart, who would get a couple of series per game by design as Manning’s backup.

Vols offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe simplified the offense for his freshmen by cutting down the size of the playbook. Manning was mostly a game manager in his first start, completing 7 of 14 attempts for 79 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. But his team pulled off the upset of the Cougars, 10-9.

Play: Video

Nobody expected Peyton to be elite right away, but the expectation was that he would develop into one of the nation’s best.

“If Peyton and his daddy were the same age, his daddy would have to watch him play,” former Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer told The Knoxville News-Sentinel in February 1994. “He’s the best high school quarterback I’ve ever seen.”

Manning played better in his second college start the following week against Arkansas, completing 12 of 18 passes for 157 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. But he lost his third start at home a week later against 10th-ranked Alabama. Manning threw two interceptions in the loss and had a chance to win the game but overthrew a receiver deep in Bama territory.

 


After a bye week, Manning won his next two starts, at South Carolina and at home versus Memphis.

He completed his freshman season by winning his last three starts and going 7-1 as a starter. He completed 61.8 percent of his 144 pass attempts for 1,141 yards, 11 touchdowns and six picks.

Manning earned third-team All-America honors the next two seasons and was a first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year in 1997.

The third Manning
By the time Eli Manning was set to take over as the starter at Ole Miss as a redshirt sophomore in 2001, his older brother was a Pro Bowler with the Indianapolis Colts. His success was considered a formality.

“He’s got a pro arm just like his dad and brother, and there’s no doubt he’s going to be a tremendous quarterback,” Murray State coach Joe Pannunzio said before Manning completed 20 of 23 attempts for 271 yards and five touchdowns in Ole Miss’ 49-14 win over the Racers in the opener.

“There’s a lot of pressure on that kid. People at Ole Miss have been waiting a long time to put Manning on the back of somebody’s jersey.”

Eli lost his second career start at Auburn, 27-21, but he threw for 265 yards and rallied the Rebels from a 27-0 deficit to make it interesting in the fourth quarter.

“He still has a ways to go to get to where his brother is, but he’s going to be very good,” Auburn linebacker Dontarrious Thomas told the AP after the game.


Eli Manning was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Manning responded by winning his next three starts, against Kentucky, Arkansas State and Alabama.

Eli’s totals through his first five starts were the best among all four Mannings: 105-of-168 passing (62 percent) for 1,398 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.

His season totals: 259-of-408 passing (63.5 percent) for 2,948 yards, 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Eli won the Maxwell Award and earned second-team All-America honors in 2023, his final season at Ole Miss.

 


The fourth Manning
Now, imagine being Arch Manning and having all those expectations to live up to.

After appearing in only two games as a true freshman, he played a bigger role last season and made his first two career starts when Quinn Ewers got hurt early in the season.

His first start, a 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe, wasn’t stellar statistically. He finished 15-of-29 passing for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His next start against Mississippi State was the sharpest passing performance of his career: 26-of-31 passing for 325 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-13 victory.

His next three starts all took place this season: a 14-7 loss at No. 3 Ohio State, a 38-7 win over San Jose State in which he threw four touchdowns and last weekend’s boo-riddled performance against UTEP that included a stretch of 10 consecutive incomplete passes.

Manning told reporters in Texas on Monday his struggles against UTEP were more mental than physical. He also said he had “a really good talk” with his coach over the weekend.

“Having him just be honest with me and tell me what he thinks and how I can get better, it’s great to have that back and forth with the head coach,” Manning said. “It’s gonna come. Not worried. Just gotta get back to playing my game.”

 

That's it...we're winning the Super Bowl!

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...