As a new week began, University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning had a simple message — and a promise — for Longhorns fans and anyone else listening.
There will be better days ahead from him.
“I know the type of player that I am,” Manning said Monday, when he answered another round of questions from reporters about a poor outing in Saturday’s 27-10 home win over the University of Texas at El Paso, a Conference USA team. “I know I’m going to play better and we’re going to be better as an offense.”
This week’s matchup with Sam Houston State, another C-USA team, would typically be viewed by outside observers an afterthought for the Longhorns.
After all, Texas is a Football Bowl Subdivision power that reached the Southeastern Conference title game and the College Football Playoff semifinals last season — after making the CFP semis as the Big 12 champion the year before that — and the Longhorns (2-1) are currently ranked eighth in the AP Top 25 poll. The Bearkats won an NCAA Division I national title in the lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision for the pandemic-delayed 2020 season four years ago, but this is only their third season of FBS competition and they’re off to an 0-3 start.