Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed two things to the media on Monday: One, that his quarterback Arch Manning is not injured, and two, that he has no interest in seeing Texas media use the bathroom.
When a reporter asked the fifth-year Longhorns coach about Manning appearing to grimace as he threw the ball on Saturday in Texas' 38-7 win over San Jose State, Sarkisian had no interest in playing into the speculation.
“According to who? Arch said that to you? I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never filmed any of you guys when you’re using the bathroom so I don’t know what faces you make when you’re doing that.”
With the win, Texas is now 1-1 following its season-opening loss to Ohio State. Against the Spartans, Manning completed 19 of his 30 passes, throwing for 295 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He just didn't look incredibly comfortable doing it.
Manning himself has also shut down any injury concern.
“No, no,” he said Saturday. “I got to make that throw. He was open. Ran a good dig route. So, I got to make that throw.”
Longhorns QB Arch Manning has had a rocky start
Manning's first two games as the Longhorns' starting quarterback have been a mixed bag. He struggled in the season-opener against Ohio State, only throwing for 170 yards and a touchdown. But he was better against San Jose State — admittedly, an overmatched opponent.
“It was sloppy,” Manning said after his team lost to the Buckeyes, per The Athletic. “Can’t turn the ball over in the red [zone]. I kind of made some throws where the defense had a chance to pick but they didn’t. So, [I’ve] got to play better.”
Against the Spartans, Sarkisian said he saw improvement.
“Today he played more of his style,” he said. “There’s some plays here and there that we’re gonna look at and maybe can do that or do this, but that’s natural. I thought he played aggressively.”
Next up, Texas will host UTEP on Saturday, its second of three straight home games.
