“I get frustrated when it’s always attacking the kid,” starts David Pollack. Arch Manning has gulped down the acid over the past six weeks. One glaring criticism he has received is his inconsistency. It didn’t start pretty in Columbus. The noise died a little over the next three weeks, but then came the ultimate blow at the Swamp. But is Arch the only one to blame for Texas’ offensive woes?

“I put a lot of blame on (Steve Sarkisian) Sark,” David Pollack said in a conversation with Greg McElroy. “Like Sark’s job is to call the plays to put him in a great position. He’s getting hammered. Like he got pressured on 60% of his drop-backs.” Florida, which is ranked at the bottom of the Power Four ladder in sacks and pressure percentage, pressured Texas QBs 60% of his drop-backs. Billy Napier might have saved his head coaching gig, but Sarkisian is facing the heat.

Florida and Ohio State boast a robust defense; they contributed to seven sacks against Manning. Six of them were registered by the Gators, a team that had earlier recorded just three sacks in the season. And that’s where the offensive line is buckling; Pollack continued. “Let’s be honest, the line’s not great. The running back spot’s not great. Tight end’s not great. Receivers’ not great.”

The 2025 NFL Draft also saw Texas depleting its offensive prowess. Kelvin Banks Jr., Cameron Williams, and Hayden Conner went to the pros, with OT Malik Agbo transferring to West Virginia. The present O-line is not strong enough to protect the QB. Presently, Texas is ranked No. 9 in sacks allowed in the SEC, in addition to being No. 22 in tackles for loss.

“I don’t see a lot of greatness helping him out either around him,” Pollack continued. But when you start looking at Coach Sark, his record against big teams also becomes a factor. “But like, it’s starting to be a trend too, Greg. He’s 2-8 in top 10 games. Like, yeah, he’s 9-15 in one-score games. Like these are numbers that matter.” In that regard, Florida wasn’t even a ranked opponent. The Gators were coming off three back-to-back losses.

Pollack isn’t the only one refusing to put everything on Arch Manning. “I’m putting the blame on Arch. He hasn’t done what he’s supposed to do, and he could be a lot better. But like Texas and all the resources and what they’ve been able to accomplish, like I think Sark deserves some of that blame as well,” On3’s Andy Staples said.

“Perhaps Texas is not putting the best talent around Arch,” he said on Andy and Ari On3. With all the money pumping into Austin, Sarkisian failed to haul in a robust offensive line. “They did not go for a lot of offensive linemen,” Pollack had said earlier on his podcast. Back in April, Austin grabbed headlines for his $40 million commitment to the football roster, and it’s upsetting for the fandom if that money and those resources are not visible on the turf.

Now, in week 7, they are going into the Red River rivalry against an undefeated Oklahoma. And things are already getting difficult.

Steve Sarkisian on the Arch Manning woes

Along with his inconsistencies, another gripe against Arch Manning is that he holds on to the ball for too long. That was what ended the game for Texas against Florida. Late in the 4th quarter, with the score at 21–29, the Longhorns had a chance to tie the game. On the last two plays of their final drive, Arch couldn’t stitch anything. He was sacked, and the clock ran down before they could spike the ball.

Per 247Sports’ Chip Brown, Steve Sarkisian stated his QB’s average time to throw the ball to be 3.23 seconds, revealing that it’s done to push the ball further down the field. “I think it all depends on what you’re trying to do offensively.”

He continued. “Obviously, Arch is a guy who can push the ball down the field; We’re trying to play to his strengths and trying to do some things that he does well,” he said on Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference. “That requires him to hold the ball for half a second or so longer. So, when you do that, it stresses the protection some.” Kirk Herbstreit believes that Arch is “trying to overcome a confidence issue and just issues with decision-making and confidence,” he said on the Nonstop podcast.

This weekend, college football will witness Arch Manning face the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. Arch’s performances have been inconsistent all season long, but Brent Venables has praised Manning’s constant efforts. “He’s a leader. Heavy is the crown,” he said.