One of the narratives in the aftermath of the Texas Longhorns second half collapse to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout has been the lack of running by UT quarterback Arch Manning. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says he'd like to see Manning use his legs more.
Through five games, Manning has rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. Last season, the New Orleans native ran for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns on 92 carries. Much of that came later in the 2025 season. As the offense evolved, Manning ran more, either by design or when he saw an opening to run as a better option.
Coach Sark said that he wanted to see Arch Manning run the ball a "little bit more" 👀 "No, I would like him to run it a little bit more. I think that's
always the fine line. I feel like when we were at our best last year as an offense, he was utilizing his legs, whether it was… pic.twitter.com/lxadhky2cY
— Orangebloods.com (@orangebloods_) October 15, 2026
Last year, Manning averaged 4.3 yards per carry and was the Longhorns second leading rusher. This year, Manning is averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
It was thought Manning would run more when the 2026 season began, seeing as it was a useful weapon for the UT offense. But that hasn't happened. Manning seems to only scramble when the play has completely broken down, rather than when he sees an opening to gain yards. There have also been very few called running plays for Manning, something that happened frequently in the second half of last season.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told the media on Thursday that he would like to see his staring quarterback run more.
"I would like him to run it a little bit more," Sarkisian told the media. "I think that's always the fine line. I feel like when we were at our best last year as an offense, he was utilizing his legs, whether it was on designed runs or, you know, scrambles when things broke down, or even in the red area of understanding, you know, the run-option element that he has at his disposal. So, no, I'm with you. I would like to see his legs become more of a factor than they've been so far."
"I would like to see his legs become more of a factor than they've been so far."
— OnTexasFootball (@ontexasfootball) October 15, 2026
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian would like to see Arch Manning become a bigger threat in the running game. pic.twitter.com/Mn9YKXa8yB
The good news is Sark recognizes the need for Manning to run more and will most likely address ways for that to happen with Manning and the offense as a whole. It's just a shame it didn't happen before Texas-OU.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Steve Sarkisian wants to see Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning run more
