The pressure isn't different, but Arch Manning is shouldering it differently

Last season, the expectations and pressure surrounding Arch Manning were simply too much for a first-year starter.

Manning and the Texas Longhorns fell well short of what they were supposed to accomplish, and the naysayers flooded in almost as quickly as those who had praised the quarterback before the season even kicked off.

This year, all of that pressure is still there. He still wears the last name "Manning" on the back of his jersey and the team name "Texas" on the front. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian said that Manning is carrying that pressure differently now.

"Anytime you have that name on the back of your jersey, that carries so much weight," Sarkisian said. "They're the First Family of football. When you think about Archie and the career he had, you think about Peyton and Eli, and the gold jacket, and the Super Bowl wins... Now [Arch has] this name on the front of his jersey too... The expectation was just outlandish."

Sarkisian admitted that Manning didn't meet those expectations, but he also admitted that those expectations were far too high, even for an elite athlete from an elite family on an elite team like Manning.

Steve Sarkisian knows Arch Manning's head is in the right place

Now, while the expectations are still high and the pressure is still there, Manning is clearly approaching this season with a newfound and grown maturity in his back pocket. That's exactly what he needed.

Manning needed to be able to shut out the noise, whether that be hype or hate, to focus on what he was recruited to Texas to do: play quarterback.

"I really don't think he cares about what somebody says about him," Sarkisian said. "I don't think it moves the needle for him. I think it takes that experience of wearing the weight of the name on his back and wearing the weight of the name on the front of his jersey."

Of course, he has to suit up for the Longhorns for at least one more year, and he will wear the name "Manning" on the back of any jersey he wears for the rest of his career.

The "disappointment" of last season, which ended in a 10-3 overall record and a bowl game victory, didn't break Manning, which it easily could have. Instead, he has continued to put his foot on the gas, "chop the wood," as he loves to say, and grow his game.

"99 percent of the people in [Manning's] shoes, at his age, going through what he went through last year, I think could've destroyed them, could've melted them," Sarkisian said. "He didn't. I think he got stronger. I think he got better for it."

Where can Arch Manning actually improve?

Last season, finished the year with 3,163 passing yards for 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ran for 399 rushing yards for 10 more touchdowns. He even caught a four-yard reception for a touchdown.

When you really break it down, he had 92 rushing attempts, including the 23 times the offensive line allowed someone through and Manning was sacked, producing 541 rushing yards but losing 142 yards on the ground as well.

That is a big area that could use improvement, but it isn't necessarily his actual run game. To be more specific, it has to do with Manning recognizing when he needs to get rid of the ball with pressure in his face, something that should see a decrease this season to begin with due to an improved offensive line, thanks to Sarkisian's offseason work in the transfer portal.

When he did hold onto the ball, Manning only fumbled the ball twice (that's just 2.17 percent of the time), recovering his own fumble on one occasion and the other being recovered by then-Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner recovering the other.

The big takeaway: when there's a big ole offensive lineman in your face, Arch, get rid of the ball a little more quickly.

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