Arch Manning is coming off his best week in a Texas uniform, and the Sam Houston State game marked his sixth career start for the Longhorns.
He threw for 309 passing yards, completed 90% of his passes for a 14.7 Y/A average, and 3 touchdowns against the Bearkats defense. He rushed for 11 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground as well. Yes, it was against an inferior defense but he looked a lot better than he did against the two previous "bad" defenses that he played in the weeks leading up to week 4.
We thought it'd be fun to look at how Arch's statistics from his first six college starts compared to his uncles, Peyton and Eli.
Arch Manning
1,623 total yards, 19 total TDs, 63.9% comp., 5 INT, 5-1 record, 158.1 QB rating
Peyton Manning
1.682 total yards, 13 total TDs, 66.5% comp., 3 INT, 5-1 record, 148.2 QB rating
Eli Manning
1,657 total yards, 14 total TDs, 65.3% comp., 1 INT, 5-1 record, 157.4 QB rating
As you can see, Arch hasn't been doing as bad as it seems early on in his career. Not only is he on par with his legendary uncles, but he actually has better numbers in a couple of categories. It doesn't have to do with the level of "talent" that Peyton and Eli faced compared to Arch either because they all played lower-level schools early on.
This really puts things in perspective and almost triggers a sigh of relief. Arch is doing okay, and with week 4's big win and performance, it'll allow him to head into SEC play with a full head of steam and more confidence than he's had over the first third of the season. He looked like a completely different player last weekend from a passing standpoint. He was on time with his throws, moved around well in the pocket, and didn't get rattled in the face of pressure.
He needs to carry that success and newfound swagger over to Texas' matchup with the Florida Gators on October 4th.