​Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) leaves the field after the 27-24 loss to Florida at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 in Austin. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
Arch Manning had an intensity to him this week. While answering questions Monday about his offense’s struggles for the umpteenth time over this two-week dumpster fire, the Texas football quarterback resembled a young cub whose siblings had beaten him out for the tasty meal Mama brought home.With five days left until Saturday’s kickoff against Ole Miss, Simba was noticeably intense Monday, operating somewhere between steamed and smoldering. The Longhorns need him to don that red cape Saturday or hell, just be something close to what we witnessed in the second half of last season. Manning knows this.”I haven’t put good film on tape the past five weeks and I’m going to be better,” he said with a scowl. “I’m going to do better for my teammates and be better for the coaches.Manning hasn’t found that groove that powered the team to an 8-1 finish over the last nine games last year. And the three fourth-quarter turnovers during the program’s first two-game losing streak since 2021 have weighed heavily on him. MORE LONGHORNS:Midseason grades for Texas Still, it would be the height of irresponsibility to place the entire blame for this offense’s struggles completely at No. 16’s feet. He’s shouldering his role in it and has practiced with a demeanor his coaches and teammates aren’t used to seeing. Head coach Steve Sarkisian described him as “edgy.”  “Somebody texted me that we lost the ‘Aw shucks’ kid and we’ve created something else,”  Sarkisian said. “I don’t know if we lost him. We created this. We did, all of us, (the media) included. Everybody on ESPN, we’ve created this, and so we’ll see what comes out of it. But he’s edgy right now, and honestly, I appreciate that about him.”As the No. 19 Longhorns (4-2, 1-2) flirt with impending doom when it comes to their postseason hopes, Manning has become the popular choice in the inevitable blame game. Sure, he has played a role in the offense’s struggles, but football is a team sport coached by highly paid individuals, like Sarkisian, who are awarded small fortunes to develop talent.Sign up for Ced’s CornerSign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond delivered straight to your inbox.  It’s called Ced’s Corner, from the NSMA’s 2025 Texas Sportswriter of the Year.The hype around this guy has been Kilimanjaro in height, which was expected from the day he arrived on campus nearly four years ago. Manning says he stays off social media most of the time, but some of the noise has to find his ears. He’s human. And on Monday he wore the look of someone ready to go the distance with Mike Tyson.”I appreciate that about him,” Sarkisian said. “At some point he’s got to fight back, and the best way for him to fight back is