Is it fixable? As Texas’ offensive struggles continue, tough questions face Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning

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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas won an SEC game it shouldn’t have Saturday night in Lexington. Those aren’t my words. Longhorn QB Arch Manning said as much Monday after the Wildcats more than doubled Texas’ yardage (395-179) in an overtime loss.

But, at least to All-American safety Michael Taaffe postgame, the vibes from the media weren’t positive enough.

“These questions seem a little bit negative, I’m not going to lie guys, to the offense,” Taaffe said postgame sitting next to Manning. “I’ll say this, it’s freaking hard to win in the SEC … We freaking won. Let’s put some smiles on our face. We won. The show goes on.”

You get it from one of Texas’ captains. Emotions are high after a game, and he’s protecting his friend.

Thing is, this wasn’t a one-off result.

Texas is averaging just 16.8 points per game against Power Four competition. The Longhorns rank No. 98 nationally in offensive EPA, 89th in points per drive and 114th in average drive distance (27.9 yards).

Find an offensive category and Texas struggles in it.

Thus, despite Taaffe’s stern messaging, the media questions kept coming. Here’s a sampling of a few queries head coach Steve Sarkisian fielded Monday at his weekly presser ahead of a road game against Mississippi State:

• How much is the offensive line limiting Manning’s growth?
• Have you thought about giving up play-calling?
• What’s your message to the fan base that seems to be panicking after a win?
• What went into benching Quinn Ewers against Georgia last year and not sitting Manning after his struggles?
• Can Texas’ issues be fixed in season or do they have to come in the offseason?

Manning wasn’t spared either:

• How much faith do you have in Sarkisian as a play-caller?
• Do you worry about losing your job?
• Are you still having fun?

Not exactly smile-on-your-face vibes in Austin.

But those are the questions Texas’ nearly $11 million-a-year coach and his preseason Heisman favorite quarterback will get when the offense manages 179 yards against Kentucky — the same team that gave up 35 points to Georgia and South Carolina in back-to-back games preceding its matchup with Texas.

There’s a lot of questions above. It’s worth diving into some of them, providing the answers from Sarkisian/Manning and some additional context. 

How much is the offensive line limiting Manning’s growth?

Sarkisian: “It’s all a combination”

The Skinny: Texas’ offensive line is a disaster. It didn’t help the Longhorns were down two starters against Kentucky, but Texas ranks 131st (out of 136 teams) with a 42.4% pressure rate allowed on drop backs. The Longhorns don’t fare much better with the run, ranking No. 83 nationally in yards per carry.

Sarkisian said Monday he’s changed Texas’ offense in recent weeks to play more complementary football with its elite defense. You can see that in the team’s aggressiveness offensively since a loss to Florida to open SEC play.

Manning averaged a 12.1-yard depth of target in Texas’ first five games. That’s down to 5.2 yards in Texas’ last two games. Sarkisian’s made a concerted effort to give Manning shorter throws and get the ball out of his hands more quickly, which helps mitigate the offensive line’s inability to hold up for extended periods.

Still, there are times Manning could do a better job adjusting protections pre-snap. The center sets protections, but it’s Manning’s job to change them at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees. On the play below, a missed third down opportunity, Manning fails to identify the MIKE coming on a blitz and the o-line fails to communicate about picking up the free rusher, which causes an errant throw.

“It could have been an explosive play,” Sarkisian said. “You’ve got to do things before that, whether it’s changing the protection or executing better, to minimize that free runner in his lap.”

Have you thought about giving up play-calling?

Sarkisian: “That’s why I got hired. I was a really good offensive coordinator. I believe in what I do.”

The Skinny: The question was framed in a way that said many head coaches, like Ohio State‘s Ryan Day, have given up play-calling duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities of managing a program and focus on game day situational football.  

Sarkisian shot that down emphatically.

He’s probably right to do so. It’s been a rough offensive year in Austin. But Texas never ranked worse than 34th nationally in yards per play in any other season with Sarkisian as the play-caller. Recruits go to Texas to play for Sarkisian. Coaches consider him one of the best play-callers in the sport.

Giving up that superpower after one bad season would be shortsighted.

Still, it would not be a surprise to see Texas’ offensive staff, which has been mostly static since Sarkisian arrived on campus, undergo a shakeup after the season.

What’s your message to the fan base that seems to be panicking after a win?

Sarkisian: “That’s a great thing. Expectations are the University of Texas are going to be high. I think we’ve raised the bar from when I’ve got here to where we are now. That’s a credit to the players and staff and administration. We’re a playoff team. That’s what we are now. Back to back years we’ve gone to the semifinals. When that becomes the standard, we all have to hold ourselves to that standard.”

The Skinny: He’s not wrong. Texas’ back-to-back playoff runs have raised expectations. Credit goes to Sarkisian and his staff for pulling Texas out of a decade of irrelevance.

But fans are justifiably upset when the preseason No. 1 team almost loses in overtime to a Kentucky team that hasn’t won a SEC game since last September. The 2025 season was supposed to be part of a national championship window for Texas, carrying from Ewers to Manning. This version of the Longhorns looks nowhere close to a contender.   

Sarkisian’s words are the reality. Taaffe’s were wishful and bordered on gaslighting.

What went into benching Ewers against Georgia last year and not sitting Manning after his struggles against UTEP and Kentucky?

Sarkisian: “I felt like (Manning’s) demeanor in both games when I was talking to him, he was seeing things well, his communication was good and knowing what we were trying to do. There were some throws in there … the conversion to DeAndre, the throw to Emmett Mosley over the middle that were high-level throws. There were plays in there where I felt he could find his rhythm back.

“I felt like against Georgia last year with Quinn we were a little overwhelmed as an offense in general. He had gotten hit on a previous sack fumble on a corner blitz he didn’t see coming. So, at that point I didn’t know if he was seeing it great and sometimes taking a step back when you’re not seeing things back if you’re not seeing things well, that’s a way to go. I don’t think there was anything Saturday night Arch wasn’t seeing. He was throwing the right people that were open. He just missed some of them.”

Ewers was 6-for-12 with 17 yards and an interception when he was benched.

Manning had a 1-for-9 stretch against the Wildcats that carried midway through the second quarter to midway through the fourth quarter. He went 0-for-10 at one point in the second quarter against UTEP.

Manning is missing throws, especially short ones. He’s completing just 62% of his passes between zero and nine yards, which ranks 148th out of 153 qualifying FBS passers, per PFF.

At the same time, Manning’s ability to run provides the offense a needed outlet. He, despite his inconsistency, ranks in the top 50% of passers in the FBS in both PFF’s grading system and QBR.

Heisman favorite good? Not close. Manning needs to play better. But it’s not like he’s the worst player in the country at his position, nor are there any obvious options on the roster to replace him with.

His backup, Matthew Caldwell, started for Troy last year. But he also ranked 71st nationally in QBR with a worse TD-to-INT ratio (1.6-to-1) than Manning this season (2.4-to-1) despite playing in the Sun Belt.

Underclassmen Trey Owens and KJ Lacey are former four-star recruits. But it appears Owens has already been passed on the depth chart by Lacey, a true freshman, and Lacey’s thrown one career pass.

There are those in the Longhorn fan base wondering if Manning should be benched. But that’s nonsensical when you consider his production and the players behind him.

How much faith do you have in Sarkisian as a play-caller?

Manning: “I have the utmost faith in him. That’s the reason why I came here — just how smart he is calling plays. I have the most confidence in him, and we’re just going to keep going from here.”

The Skinny: Recruits seem to agree. The Longhorns have the No. 3 QB (Dia Bell), the No. 1 athlete (Jermaine Bishop), No. 3 running back (Derrek Cooper) and the No. 4 offensive tackle (John Turtine) committed in the 2026 class.

It’ll take a much longer stretch of poor offensive results for Texas’ players and recruiters to lose faith in Sarkisian the play-caller.

Are you still having fun?

Manning: “Yeah, I do, I’m still having fun. The game didn’t go the way we wanted to on offense. But I’m still having fun.”

The Skinny: Football is Manning’s life. Always has been. His brother and sister have varied outside interests. Arch? Not so much.

“Arch really just cares about football,” his mom, Ellen, told CBS Sports earlier this year. “I guess it’ll serve him well. Hopefully.”

That hopefully feels ominous in retrospect.

It’s always been difficult to be Arch Manning off the field while walking around campus. But between the lines Manning’s never had any issues. He was a true freshman starter at Isadore Newman High School in New Orleans, the No. 1 recruit in the country and played well as Ewers’ backup.

This his first ever extended stretch of adversity. How he handles it will say a lot about his Texas and eventual pro future.

Can Texas’ issues be fixed in season or do they have to come in the offseason?

Sarkisian: “I think any issue can be fixed short term. One of the easiest ways to fix something is if you’re not calling a specific scheme well you don’t have to call it, right? We can gravitate more toward things we do well. … Naturally, if you feel like you’re not adequate at a certain position you can protect that guy right now and monitor his development long time. Or say we want to protect him now and we need to do something different in the offseason.”

The Skinny: Sarkisian mentioned ways Texas could adjust this year, including the way he’s altered his play-calling with fewer deep shots and more ball control. He also talked about shortening the playbook a bit so the offense can rep fewer plays with more frequency.

But the reality is Texas’ offensive line is an issue that’s probably not going to be resolved until the offseason.

Texas knew this might happen. It tried to tempt a Power Four offensive tackle in the portal before the spring deadline with a multi-million dollar offer, but that didn’t come to fruition.

Expect Texas to be very aggressive in the portal this winter upgrading the o-line. Running back and receiver will likely be needs, too. As for quarterback … we’ll see how Manning fares the rest of the year.

Either way, the Longhorns will have to add depth at that spot given Manning will be the only quarterback on the roster with starting experience heading into 2026. 

This news was originally published on this post .

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