Stephen A. Smith accuses Steve Sarkisian of trying to protect Arch Manning over coaching Texas after abysmal show vs. Ryan Day's Ohio State 

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has criticized Steve Sarkisian’s handling of Arch Manning, following the Texas Longhorns’ loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 1. Smith appeared on the Monday edition of ESPN's "First Take" to analyze the Longhorns’ loss against the Buckeyes in their season opener.

The veteran commentator was critical of Manning’s performance in the game. However, he reserved the biggest part of his criticism for the Longhorns coach. He said (Timestamp- 3:42 onwards):

“I put most of the blame on Sarkisian more so than I put it on Arch Manning.”

He continued (Timestamp- 4:06 onwards):

“But when it comes to Sarkisian, you’ve been around too long. And to go out there and call such a pedestrian game, I really, really was so unimpressed. I had big expectations for Sarkisian, what we know him to be as a coach, as an offensive play caller, as an offensive coordinator.

"I think he came up flagrantly short, almost to the point where he was compromised, because he was too busy in trying to protect Arch Manning as opposed to coaching him. And I think that’s the indictment to make this particular morning," he added.

Arch Manning had a disappointing debut as Texas’ starting quarterback against the Buckeyes on Saturday. The redshirt sophomore had so much hype surrounding him coming into the season, leading many projections for the Heisman Trophy. However, the hype seemingly fizzled out after he completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown in the 14-7 loss.

Steve Sarkisian explains Arch Manning’s poor performance

The Longhorns coach tried to explain Manning’s performance in the postgame press conference (via SaturdayDownSouth.com):

“There was a couple of times where we had some crossing routes where I didn’t feel like he brought his feet to where he wanted to throw the ball, which in turn forced kind of a sidearm delivery, which isn’t his style of throwing.”

Ahead of Texas’ next game against San Jose State, Manning has also recognized the need for him to improve his performance. He told the press on Monday :

“I hold myself to a high standard. I’ve got to play better, got to lead more, got to get our guys to play well around me, and ultimately I wasn’t good enough.”

The Longhorns will be home for their next three matchups, playing against San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston. These are expected to be easier challenges for the quarterback than Ohio State’s compact defense and difficult home ground.