Arch Manning drew a bevy of detractors Saturday for Texas football. All after delivering an underwhelming performance against Ohio State. Many across the internet ripped the quarterback — except Dez Bryant.
The former Dallas Cowboys all-pro once needed to beat Texas during his college football career. But the former Oklahoma State star blasted one critic of Manning after the Buckeyes' 14-7 victory.
“You sound crazy…one game against the defending national champions. He missed a couple of throws trying to protect the WRs from getting blown up as well. His IQ for the game is sky high. The minor mistakes will be fixed as the season goes on,” Bryant said.
And that wasn't Bryant's only defense for the now 0-1 Texas starter in 2025.
Dez Bryant reacts to final drive involving Arch Manning, Texas
Manning walked into Columbus hearing the Heisman Trophy hype. Plus first round of the NFL Draft chatter. But the critics sounded off fiercely for Manning online during the final drive.
The new starting QB noticeably wasn't hitting the right targets. Even the open ones. But Bryant zeroed in on every throw Manning tossed. Including explaining to one fan how Manning was “trying to protect” his targets.
“I said he made some bad throws and that was one on the final drive. But like I said, he made some throws trying to protect the WR from getting blown up as well,” he explained. “If you are running shallow routes, the WR is taught to sit down versus zone. If the WR showing eyes to QB, you are telling the QB it’s man.”
Bryant added how “11 men on the field have to know their alignment and assignments in order to execute. It’s hard for a lot of you to truly understand football because you so f—— caught up in the politics.”
Count Bryant as someone not writing off Manning just yet. Despite a dismal first showing. Manning completed 17 passes out of 30 attempts. But managed 170 yards and one touchdown throw. Ohio State picked him off once. He finished with a QBR of only 58.0.
Manning became honest with his performance after the game. He'll now need to regroup with a Longhorns team bound to drop out of their No. 1 ranking. But he earned an immediate backing from a former Big 12 rival of the Longhorns.
