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- Steve Sarkisian says it could be “even worse.” Yikes. What advocates.
- Texas backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell is a successful transfer at Troy.
- If Arch Manning can’t handle UTEP, how will he take the fare against Oklahoma?
I hardly believe my fingers are trying to type these next words, but Texas has a quarterback problem. That’s not an exaggeration.
Texas ranks 15 out of 16 seconds teams. That’s despite playing two games with a cupcake opponent.
It’s a quarterback issue.
That preseason No. 1 ranking has been gone for a long time. All bets slip in the archmanning as the winner of the Heisman Trophy will become fuel for the fireplace once the weather changes.
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Who is the backup quarterback in Texas? Yes, that’s a serious question.
It’s also wrong to think that Manning can’t be the bench if he’s wrong to think that he’s going to be the next Tim Tebou just because he owns a well-known surname and a noble recruitment ranking.
Manning fired 10 consecutive incompleteness in a 27-10 blunt victory over Texas El Paso rather than Ohio State.
“It could be even worse,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We could lose.”
I can’t believe it’s coming to this, but we’ve officially reached the “possible to be even worse” stage in Texas and Manning.
If Texas had played an opponent outside of the acronym school for alphabet soup, that would have been worse.
Sarkisian compared Manning’s Whack Out of Obs-Obs-Offowing Mechanics to a bad golfer trying to get just one in place.
“Some of us who are bad golfers think about your golf swing,” Sarkisian said. “You shake hard, then you try to slow it down at the end. It’s about making good contact. It’s not a recipe for success. It’s not a good recipe for throwing soccer either. And I felt that it happened from time to time.”
Just like that, I imagine Manning as a local Muni double bogey hacker, sprinkling some good drives between many slices, worm burners and shanks blowing onto the tree.
Who is the Texas backup quarterback behind Archmanning?
To answer the questions I raised, Matthew Caldwell is the backup quarterback for Texas. Upon transfer, he played for three other schools, most recently for Troy. He also played well for Troy.
Having gotten a lot of this, Caldwell won the “Manning Star of the Week” honor for his performance against Georgia Southern last season.
Seriously.
The Sugar Bowl, to honor Mannings’ legacy, recognizes several quarterbacks each week for their performances. Caldwell took the honor after dicing Sunbelt opponents for 288 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Caldwell was a Zero Star recruit from Auburn High School in Alabama. He began his college career as a walk-on in Jacksonville. That way, he’s everything Manning isn’t.
I reviewed Caldwell’s films in Troy and watched the mobile quarterback on a quick release. You don’t confuse his arms for John Elway, but he’s accurate.
Don’t take that from me.
“He has athleticism and throws accurate balls. …He’s really coachable,” Sarkisian told reporters before the season. “…He has a really good relationship with his teammates.”
So what is the hold-up? See, I think it’s easy to build that backup quarterbacks are the solution and there’s no evidence to support it. There’s a reason why guys were often the backup and not the starter.
However, when Quinn Ewors fought Georgia last season, Sarkisian tried to back him up. It just happened to be the name of the backup being Manning. Now, the name of the backup is Caldwell, but the spelling of the last name is not important.
Behind Caldwell is a pair of quarterbacks who have been announced but are young and untested.
“The last thing I want to do is put a younger player on the field if he’s not ready to play,” Sarkisian said before the season.
So that’s all. It’s a five-star or former Zero Star walk-on from the most famous family in college football. It should be an easy choice, but Manning’s performance stimulates the need for further evaluation.
Texas never played preseason quarterback competition. Sarkisian appointed Manning as the starter in February. Every time Manning gets incomplete, it appears Sarkisian has made a decision too quickly.
Maybe Texas needs a late quarterback competition
Manning, 21, is in his third season in Texas. He started five games. He’s a struggling quarterback, but not particularly a younger quarterback.
After Manning struggled in the season-opening match against Ohio State, the sermon’s patience seemed wise. By the second week, Manning was grimacing and Sarkisian was cracking a toilet joke. Now, after this stinker against UTEP, it’s time to see a rapid improvement this time, Sarkisian has to evaluate his options.
I realized that no coach loves quarterback controversy during the season. But what’s worse than the quarterback controversy? Just as expensive as this.
Texas has the next win and loss Sam Houston state. I can’t imagine a better opponent to test a backup quarterback. There are alternative quarters for Manning and Caldwell. Before the Longhorns resume their game against the big league competition next month, let’s take a look at who’s best for Texas needs.
With the Texas defense playing, the Longhorns don’t necessarily need the next Tebou or Payton 2.0 at quarterback. They need a quarterback more than the arch ever had.
Blake Toppmeyer is a senior national college football columnist for the USA Today Network. Email him to btopppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him with X @btopppmeyer.
