Paul Finebaum raised some doubts about Arch Manning after Texas lost Saturday's Red River Rivalry showdown to Oklahoma. The Longhorns relinquished their No. 1 national ranking following a 27-24 defeat at the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners erased a 10-point halftime deficit, picking off Manning twice in the fourth quarter.
Finebaum, who once touted Manning as a future Heisman Trophy winner, questioned the quarterback on "The Matt Barrie Show." "We showed arrogance in believing that Arch Manning could do anything," Finebaum said. "And he almost did, except he finally got in the way of himself. I was really troubled by how he had played up to this point.
I came away thinking, 'I don’t know what this guy is going to do.' Because he is not the elite player that we all tried to make him out to be." Manning also made some big plays throughout the SEC matchup, completing 19 of 31 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Yet the former five-star recruit hasn't taken the leap to stardom, averaging 7.7 yards per pass attempt in his junior year. Finebaum hasn't seen enough consistency from the 22-year-old to treat him as a top-tier passer.
"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," Finebaum added. "But he can just be downright stupid in others." While Manning led a 75-yard drive to tie the game at 24-24 with 3:35 remaining, the Longhorns mustered 64 combined yards in four other fourth-quarter drives. His second pick in the closing minute allowed Tate Sandell to win the game with a 47-yard field goal as time expired.
Manning and the Longhorns will look to rebound when they host the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon.
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