Arch Manning’s struggles at Texas are reaching a potential crossroads.
Texas is expected to give an uptick in first-team quarterback reps to redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. this week in practice, per ESPN sources.
The shift in reps indicates a greater possibility of Lacey replacing Manning if he struggles when No. 19 Texas hosts No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday. Coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday that Manning remains Texas’ starting quarterback, but that the Longhorns need to see improvement.
“Arch can play better for us,” Sarkisian said. “He’s our starter. But I need a better version of Arch Manning.”
Sarkisian said he felt like the Longhorns missed opportunities in the passing game for explosive plays. He said he had “constructive conversations” with several members of the team, including Manning, and was pleased with how his quarterback responded.
“I had a good meeting with Arch yesterday. He came out today [and] he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and I appreciated it. I liked it.”
Sarkisian said that Lacey gets first-team reps every week but was noncommittal that he would get more than usual.
“Not to me, but we’ll find out as the week goes,” he said.
Texas is 5-2 after losses in back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Florida. The Longhorns also possess two high-end wins — home against now No. 3 Ohio State and at No. 11 Tennessee.
Manning played poorly against Oklahoma, throwing two crucial fourth-quarter interceptions that cost Texas the game. He also struggled against Florida, completing 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards. He also fumbled in the final two minutes, which allowed Florida to seal a comeback win.
Sarkisian said afterward that the Longhorns had an open receiver on the play, but that Manning didn’t see him.
Sarkisian said part of his evaluation has been his own play-calling, including a “crummy” call on Saturday, and has been taking stock of how he can fix his ailing offense.
“I think I’ve got to continue to remain creative, but at the same time, not lose sight of who we are fundamentally in the beliefs that we have,” Sarkisian said. “I can’t not be creative because I’m trying to make it easy. We’ve got to do simple better as an offense, but I still have to make things creative for our opponents to have to defend things that make it hard on them.”
When asked about Texas’ struggles after the game, Sarkisian said that everything would be evaluated. When asked specifically about Manning, he said, “everything means everything.”
Sarkisian mentioned that “nobody was perfect” on offense, as Texas’ offensive line has struggled and the Longhorn run game is third worst in the SEC. Texas is No. 13 in both rushing yards per game (135.0) and yards per carry (3.6).
“We all need to be part of the solution because it’s easy to listen to the outside noise and the sky is falling and the season’s over and what are we going to do next year?” Sarkisian said. “Hey man, we’re 4-2. Let’s be part of the solution. Let’s go 1-0 this week and let’s get to 5-2. There’s a lot of football left to be played.”
Manning entered the year as one of the faces of college football and an ESPN poll of NFL scouts ranked him the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the sport.
Manning is No. 10 in the SEC in completion percentage (63.9%) and has five interceptions. His 11 touchdown passes rank him No. 9 in the league.
Lacey is an intriguing prospect who has nine career pass attempts. Sarkisian said at SEC media days that Lacey has “a lot of qualities that remind me of [Carolina Panthers quarterback] Bryce Young.”
Lacey is 6 feet, 188 pounds and brings a reputation as a prolific passer. He’s the No. 2 high school passer in Alabama history with 10,985 yards.
Meanwhile, star pass rusher Colin Simmons is not expected play against Ole Miss on Saturday due to a high ankle sprain, according to sources. The the injury is considered week-to-week. Sarkisian would not comment on Simmons’ status on Monday, saying it would be updated on Wednesday’s SEC availability report.
Orangebloods first reported the high ankle sprain for Simmons.
ESPN’s Dave Wilson contributed to this report.
