His uncle Eli's jersey was retired in Oxford, and so was his grandfather Archie's No. 18. On Saturday night, Arch faces the Rebels for the first time, possibly at the lowest point of his career. Questions have swirled around Arch during a two-game losing streak that has the Longhorns on the brink of falling completely out of the polls after rising to No. 1 in September with a comeback win against top-ranked Ohio State.
He threw two interceptions, including a pick-six, in the loss to Oklahoma, and last week he lost a fumble on a strip sack with two minutes remaining, allowing Florida to hold on for a win, Manning's first home loss as a starter. Afterward, Sarkisian said he would evaluate the offense, including Manning's role in the offense. Now Texas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) is trying to avoid joining 1965 Texas and 1957 Texas A&M as the only teams to lose three straight games in a season after entering as the AP No. 1 team.
The Longhorns will be without the nation's sacks leader, Colin Simmons, who has a high ankle sprain. No. 7 Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1) has won two straight by a combined 63 points and has redisovered its groove following a 28-point win against nationally-ranked Missouri last week. Arch Manning's evaluation: Manning is expected to start Saturday, but how short will the leash be?
Backup KJ Lacey has gotten more first-team reps over the last two weeks, fueling speculation he could step in against the Rebels. Manning threw only seven interceptions in 13 games last season. He's up to five picks through six starts this season.
"He's our starter, but I need to see a better version of Arch Manning like I need to see a better version of a lot of guys on our offensive football team right now, but we need to see a better version of him this week," Sarkisian said. Life without Colin Simmons: Simmons leads the FBS with 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. He had eight tackles, four TFL and a sack against Florida before he was carted off in the fourth quarter, and reports have him out three to four weeks.
That's a problem against Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has thrown a touchdown pass in 19 straight games, tied for the second-longest streak in Ole Miss history. His 20 total touchdowns rank second in the SEC, and Ole Miss leads the FBS in red zone touchdown percentage (87.5%). Ole Miss rebuilt itself after Florida: The Rebels left Gainesville in September after a 52-28 loss Golding called an "old-fashioned butt whooping." The Gators ran for 302 yards, and Ole Miss managed one tackle for loss and no sacks.
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