Arch Manning entered the season carrying the weight of expectations, with many believing he could lead Texas to glory. But after the Longhorns’ crushing setback against Oklahoma, the narrative surrounding the quarterback has taken a brutal turn. As frustration boils over and criticism grows louder, Manning has also lost one voice who backed him throughout the season.

“We showed arrogance in believing that Arch Manning can do anything,” Paul Finebaum said on ESPN College Football on October 10.

“I was really troubled by how he had played up to this point. I don’t know what this guy’s going to do because he is not the elite player that we all tried to make him out to be. He can be great in moments, as we saw near the end of the game when he threw that great play that set up the touchdown, but he can just be downright stupid in others.”

Paul Finebaum even stood by the Texas quarterback when criticism mounted during the Holly Rowe controversy, arguing that the quarterback was unfairly singled out while others escaped criticism. From Finebaum’s perspective, it made no sense that Manning would put himself in a rough spot given his background.

Finebaum was also impressed by Manning’s performance against Ohio State when Texas trailed by 20 points in the fourth quarter. He led the Longhorns to three consecutive touchdown drives to pull off a nail-biting win against the No. 1 Buckeyes.

“He proved everything,” Finebaum said after the Ohio State win. “What you saw Saturday night is what people have been telling anyone who will listen for about a year and a half. He is the personification of a great college quarterback. He proved it.”

However, that saga has now come to an end, and it was the Red River rivalry that finally made Finebaum lose hope in his favorite QB. The inconsistency in Manning’s performance was visible in the 24-27 loss to Oklahoma. The QB completed 19 of the 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. However, he made 2 mistakes that cost Texas the game.

In the fourth quarter, Manning’s pass was intercepted by Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen, and he turned it into a 42-yard touchdown. This gave the Sooners their first lead of the game. Then came the golden opportunity for the Sooners when Manning threw another interception.

Late in the fourth quarter, with Texas trying to get into the field goal range to win the game, Manning threw an interception. The Sooners’ offense seized the opportunity, got multiple first downs, and set up a field goal of their own. Tate Sandell converted the 47-yard field goal to give Brent Venables a memorable win over an SEC rival.

“There’s a level of frustration, a level of disappointment, but also a level of optimism knowing we can get those things fixed,” Sarkisian told reporters after the game. “We’ve got a long season to go.”

Moreover, the Oklahoma performance wasn’t an outlier for the Texas offense. Despite being No. 1 heading into the Red River Rivalry showdown, the Longhorns were mostly carried by their defense. On the other side of the ball, the Manning-led unit has largely been inconsistent, except for its performance in the 4th quarter against Ohio State.

This is after Sarkisian got quality weapons from the portal to fix some glaring holes in the WR and RB rooms. Still, this is Texas’ first loss, and they can still get a spot in the CFP. However, that can’t happen without Manning and the offense playing better.