- Steve Sarkisian says it ‘could be worse.’ Yikes. What an endorsement.
- Texas backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell is a transfer who fared well at Troy.
- If Arch Manning can’t handle UTEP, how’s he going to fare against Oklahoma?
I can scarcely believe my fingers are about to type these next words, but Texas has a quarterback problem. That’s not exaggeration.
Texas ranks 15th out of 16 SEC teams in completion rate. That’s despite playing two games against cupcake opponents.
That’s a quarterback problem.
Its preseason No. 1 ranking is long gone. All those betting slips with Arch Manning as the Heisman Trophy winner will become firepit kindling once the weather turns.
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Who’s the backup quarterback at Texas? Yes, that’s a serious question.
If it was wrong to think Manning would become the next Tim Tebow just because he owns a famous surname and a lofty recruiting ranking, then it’s also wrong to think Manning cannot be benched, just because of those seven letters stitched across the back of his jersey or the five stars he attracted from recruiting evaluators.
“Could be worse,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said afterward. “We could lose.”
I can’t believe it’s come to this, but we’ve officially reached the “could be worse” stage for Texas and Manning.
If Texas had been playing an opponent other than an alphabet soup acronym school, it would have been worse.
Sarkisian compared Manning’s out-of-whack throwing mechanics to a bad golfer who’s just trying to square one up.
“Some of us here that are bad golfers, think about your golf swing,” Sarkisian said. “You try to swing hard and then you try to slow it down at the very end to make good contact. That’s never a recipe for success, and that’s not a good recipe for throwing a football, either. And I felt like that happened, at times,” against UTEP.
Just like that, I’m envisioning Manning as a double-bogey hacker at my local muni, sprinkling in a few good drives between a lot of slices, worm-burners, and shanks that whistle into the trees.
Who is Texas’ backup quarterback behind Arch Manning?
To answer the question I posed, Matthew Caldwell is Texas’ backup quarterback. A transfer, he’s played for three other schools, most recently for Troy. He played well for Troy, too.
Get a load of this, Caldwell earned “Manning Star of the Week” honors for his performance against Georgia Southern last season.
Seriously.
The Sugar Bowl, to honor the Mannings’ legacy, recognizes several quarterbacks each week for their performance. Caldwell nabbed the honors after dicing up a Sun Belt opponent for 288 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Caldwell was a zero-star recruit coming out of Auburn High School in Alabama. He began his college career as a walk-on at Jacksonville State. In that way, he’s everything Manning isn’t.
I reviewed some film of Caldwell at Troy and saw a mobile quarterback with a quick release. You wouldn’t confuse his arm for John Elway’s, but he’s accurate.
Don’t just take it from me.
“He’s got athleticism, and he throws an accurate ball. … He’s really coachable,” Sarkisian told reporters before the season. “… He’s got really good rapport with his teammates.”
OK, so what’s the holdup? Look, I know it’s easy to build up the backup quarterback being the solution, without evidence to support it. Often, there’s a reason that guy was the backup and not the starter.
But, when Quinn Ewers struggled against Georgia last season, Sarkisian tried his backup. It just so happened the backup’s name was Manning. Now, the backup’s name is Caldwell, but the spelling of the surname shouldn’t matter.
Behind Caldwell are a pair of heralded but young and untested quarterbacks.
“The last thing I want to do is put a young player on the field if he’s not ready to play,” Sarkisian said before the season.
So, that’s that. It’s either a five-star from college football’s most famous family, or a former zero-star walk-on. Should be an easy choice, but Manning’s performance sparks the need for further evaluation.
Texas never conducted a preseason quarterback competition. Sarkisian named Manning the starter in February. With every Manning incompletion, it’s looking more and more like Sarkisian made up his mind too soon.
Maybe, Texas needs a belated quarterback competition
Manning, 21, is in his third season at Texas. He’s started five games. He’s a struggling quarterback, but not an especially young one.
Preaching patience seemed sensible after Manning struggled in the season opener against Ohio State. By Week 2, Manning was grimacing, and Sarkisian was cracking toilet jokes. Now, after this stinker against UTEP, it’s either time to see rapid improvement, or Sarkisian must evaluate his options.
I realize no coach loves an in-season quarterback controversy, and Caldwell playing well would increase scrutiny of Manning. But, what’s worse than a quarterback controversy? A roster as expensive as this one turtling up.
Texas has winless Sam Houston State up next. I can’t think of a better opponent against which to test a backup quarterback. Have Manning and Caldwell alternate quarters. Let’s see who best suits Texas’ needs, before the Longhorns resume games against big-league competition next month.
With Texas’ defense playing as well as it is, the Longhorns don’t necessarily need the next Tebow or Peyton 2.0 at quarterback. They do need a quarterback better than what Arch has been.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
(This story was updated to add a gallery.)
