Paul Finebaum on Arch Manning struggles: ‘We were prisoners of the Manning name’

Coming into the season, the expectations surrounding Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns were through the roof. Then, the season kicked off and the Longhorns struggled to move the ball on offense against Ohio State, and with that, those expectations came crashing down.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum appeared on The Matt Barrie Show on the Sunday following the game. There, he explained that the hype did get out of control. That’s because of how long he’s been discussed and the fact that he’s the next Manning in a family of great quarterbacks.

“I would, and it bothered me,” Paul Finebaum said. “Those who looked at the tape last year on Arch probably ended up with the best takes. When we’re sitting around on January 21st, reflecting on the season, this late August conversation will probably not matter a whole lot… But, I think in Texas’ case, we were prisoners of the Manning name, and that’s okay.”

Paul Finebaum himself was one of the chief pundits celebrating Arch Manning throughout the offseason. At one point,  he argued, “Arch Manning is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.” In another instance over the summer, Finebaum suggested that Texas should have benched Quinn Ewers in the College Football Playoff for Manning.

“We’ve only been hearing about Arch Manning since about the seventh grade. It was one of the biggest commitments of all time. It was the biggest debut of all time, and it did transcend sports. That’s what I jumped on with some of my now ridiculous takes. But that’s fine. We’re in the business to express our opinions and what I don’t like, not to be on a soapbox, are those who never give an opinion. I don’t mind being wrong. I think it’s pretty funny — I mean, I get a kick. It got so bad yesterday, I was flying back, and you try to keep up. Nobody in our business admits it, but you try to keep up with what people are saying about you. I couldn’t keep up with it. I finally said, ‘I’ve had enough,'” Finebaum said.

“By the way, that was only after the Texas game. That wasn’t after the bad take on Alabama or the bad take on LSU and Clemson. But, hey, we’re all alive this morning. What else matters?”

Arch Manning finished the day completing 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed for 38 yards. The Longhorns would only score seven points and had two key redzone possessions where they couldn’t finish drives. After the game, Manning was critical of his own play.

“Ultimately, not good enough,” Manning said. “Obviously, you don’t want to start off the season 0-1. They’re a good team. I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”

Steve Sarkisian bashes ‘out of control’ Arch Manning expectations following loss to Ohio State

One person who certainly felt the media pressure growing on Arch Manning was his head coach, Steve Sarkisian. After the game, Sarkisian was critical of that media pressure, bashing it for being out of control.

“For Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside,” Sarkisian said. “I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him. That’s one chapter.”

Texas and Arch Manning are getting ready to bounce back now with plenty of expectations to still live up to. Next week, the Longhorns are set to return home to take on San Jose State.