Paul Finebaum has had quite a change of heart regarding Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns. After previously losing faith in the young quarterback and calling for Steve Sarkisian to make changes, the ESPN analyst now seems to be back in Manning’s corner. It is not the first time Finebaum has shifted his stance lately, and his latest take raises questions about what changed his mind so quickly.
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“Well, whatever Arch is and whatever Texas is, they’re about as entertaining a show to watch as college football has ever had. Nothing is ever simple,” Finebaum said in a discussion with Matt Barrie on October 25. “I was really happy for Arch that he was able to play at times exceptionally and quiet everyone down.”
“I’m not taking myself out of the equation, but some of the comments made about Arch last week by the experts—the people who think they know football—were downright stupid, even though some of them call Arch stupid. Texas survives.”
Finebaum’s latest comments suggest a noticeable shift in his stance on Manning. Texas had lost two games in a row against Oklahoma and Florida. Those defeats led to criticism of Manning’s performance, and even Finebaum was one of the critics.
“Maybe Arch Manning will pick something up on the sideline. I still think he can be an elite quarterback, but I also believe that Steve Sarkisian has completely scre-ed it up. It’s time to make a change at Texas,” Finebaum said after the Florida loss.
However, the 34–27 win over Ole Miss means that Texas is still alive for the playoffs. Manning completed 18-of-30 attempts for 212 passing yards and a touchdown and added two more touchdowns on the ground. However, he threw 2 interceptions and committed a costly sack-fumble that sparked Ole Miss’ comeback after the Rebels were down 3-24.
Once again, it was a tale of two halves for Texas. In the first half, the Longhorns looked like the best team in college football. The offense was humming, with Arch connecting with his wide receivers on deep throws. On the other side, Trinidad Chambliss was completely clueless against a Texas defense that was playing without its best player, Colin Simmons. Chambliss completed 6 out of 18 passes and managed just 63 yards by halftime.
However, in the third quarter, the 24-3 lead quickly became 24-17, and early in the fourth, Ole Miss had tied the game 24-24. Just like against Florida, the Texas offense couldn’t get going in the third quarter. With the score tied 24-24, Arch Manning threw an interception that could’ve been disastrous.
Fortunately for Texas, the Rebels couldn’t capitalize on the interception. Texas got the ball back and had a touchdown drive to make it 31-24. Even at 34-24, the drama wasn’t over. With less than two minutes on the clock, the Rebels kicked a field goal and recovered the kickoff. In the dying seconds, Chambliss had a chance to tie the game, but Texas held on.
With the win, some criticism of Arch Manning’s play might come down. However, more than the QB, it is now on Steve Sarkisian to fix his second-half offense. In Week 9, Texas hosts Mississippi State.