There may be a turning point in Arch Manning’s difficulties at Texas. Texas is anticipated to give redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. more first-team quarterback reps this week in practice, even though Manning still projects as the team’s starting quarterback.
The increase in Lacey’s reps suggests that Texas may replace Manning if he doesn’t improve. The change in reps suggests that Lacey is more likely to play when No. 19 Texas plays No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday.
After losing consecutive games to Oklahoma and Florida, Texas is at 5-2. Additionally, the Longhorns have two high-end victories: at No. 11 Tennessee and at home versus Ohio State, who are now ranked third.
Texas lost the game due to Manning’s terrible performance against Oklahoma, which included two critical interceptions in the fourth quarter. Against Florida, he struggled as well, only completing 14 of 20 throws for 173 yards. In the last two minutes, he also made a mistake that let Florida pull off a comeback victory.
After the game, Sarkisian said that Manning failed to notice the Longhorns’ wide receiver. Sarkisian said:
“I think on that play, our protection might’ve been OK,” “I think [Manning] might have been a little quick to kind of drop his eyes. He had Emmett Mosley, who’s the primary [receiver]. We thought the ball could have got out.”
Given that Texas’ offensive line has struggled and the Longhorn run game is the third worst in the SEC, Sarkisian said that “nobody was perfect” on offense. Texas ranks 13th in both yards per carry (3.6) and running yards per game (135.0).
