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AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns speaks with Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Texas Longhorns have gone from No. 1 in the country to No. 19 in just two weeks, with quarterback Arch Manning taking much of the criticism for their slide.<\/p>\n
Back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida have brought questions about Manning\u2019s future as the starter, even with Steve Sarkisian continuing to back him. But ahead of another big matchup against Ole Miss, the Texas coach is seeing something different in his quarterback.<\/p>\n
And Sarkisian has a specific word for Manning\u2019s attitude after everything that\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n
More Texas Longhorns On Heavy: SEC Rival Coach Shows \u2018Real Interest\u2019 in Replacing Texas\u2019 Steve Sarkisian: Report<\/a><\/p>\n Steve Sarkisian Calls Arch Manning \u2018Edgy\u2019 Amid Texas Struggles<\/p>\n Sarkisian described a more fired-up version of Manning during his Thursday media availability, per Inside Texas\u2019 Tyler Horka<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI would use the word edgy, and I like it,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cHe\u2019s edgy right now. And I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the \u2018Aw Shucks\u2019 kid and we created something else. I don\u2019t know if we lost him. We created this. We did. All of us. Y\u2019all included. Me. The whole thing, right. Everybody on ESPN, we\u2019ve created this. And so we\u2019ll see what comes out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarkisian finished with saying, \u201cAt some point, he\u2019s gotta fight back.\u201d<\/p>\n For Sarkisian, that response needs to show up in Manning\u2019s play, particularly with No. 7 Ole Miss coming to Austin on Saturday.<\/p>\n Texas has lost two straight games by identical 27-24 scores. Against Oklahoma on Oct. 10, Manning completed 19 of 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions. One came in the final seconds and helped set up the Sooners\u2019 game-winning field goal.<\/p>\n A week later, Manning went 14-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown against Florida. He didn\u2019t throw an interception, but his late fumble ended Texas\u2019 chance to tie or win the game.<\/p>\n Texas scored only 17 points on offense against Florida, with its other touchdown coming on a 63-yard punt return by Ryan Niblett. Manning also took five sacks, while the Longhorns managed just 13 first downs and converted only two of their 10 third-down attempts.<\/p>\n Those mistakes have helped put the Longhorns at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play.<\/p>\n More On Arch Manning: Texas\u2019 Arch Manning Floated for Miami Move Amid Steve Sarkisian Criticism<\/a><\/p>\n Arch Manning Still Has Steve Sarkisian\u2019s Support at Texas<\/p>\n Despite the criticism, Sarkisian isn\u2019t turning the offense over to backup KJ Lacey Jr. On Monday, he reaffirmed Manning as the starter, though he made clear that better quarterback play is needed.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters after the Florida loss, Sarkisian said he had met with Manning the following day and liked the attitude he brought to practice. Inside Texas\u2019 Evan Vieth<\/a> reported that Sarkisian saw a chip on Manning\u2019s shoulder, a sign the quarterback was taking the criticism personally.<\/p>\n That came as ESPN reported Lacey was expected to receive more work with the first-team offense. Sarkisian pushed back on the suggestion that this represented a significant change, explaining that Lacey already gets first-team practice reps each week.<\/p>\n Through six games, Manning has completed 63.9% of his passes for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. His production hasn\u2019t prevented the turnovers that have hurt Texas in its last two games, and the Longhorns have dropped from the top spot in the rankings after entering October unbeaten.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s game also has a family connection for Manning. His grandfather Archie and uncle Eli both starred at Ole Miss, giving the matchup another layer of attention. But with Texas trying to avoid a third consecutive loss, the bigger question is whether the different attitude Sarkisian has seen in practice carries over to game day.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShane Shoemaker<\/a> Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. 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