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Arch Manning isn’t hurt, folks. Despite what you might have seen making the rounds on social media after Texas demolished San Jose State 38-7, those facial expressions weren’t signs of injury. The quarterback’s brief grimaces after certain throws sparked wild speculation online, but head coach Steve Sarkisian shut that down immediately. The whole situation — now being called “wince-gate” — has irritated people throughout the program.
Manning’s perfectly healthy physically. The problem? He’s college football’s most scrutinized player, and it’s wearing thin on everyone involved.
“I think it’s two things,” Chris Hummer explained on the CFB Insiders podcast. “Head coaches don’t like to give information about things like injuries because it’s an advantage — whether the injury exists or it doesn’t. And there’s just kind of frustration for those around the program that every little thing with Arch Manning is a story.”
This is getting ridiculous.
Someone close to Manning told Hummer the entire conversation about the quarterback’s facial expressions is “dumb.” Context matters here — one of those grimaces happened when Manning was about to get crushed by a linebacker.
“Would you be smiling ear-to-ear if you were about to throw a pass and could maybe get blown up by a linebacker?” Hummer said, relaying what his source told him. “That’s not often a face people make.”
The drama escalated after Monday’s press conference when Sarkisian didn’t hide his frustration. When a reporter suggested Manning “seemed to be having some throwing pains,” Sark fired back: “According to who? Arch said that to you? According to who. He doesn’t have any (injury). I’ve never filmed any of you guys when you’re using the bathroom, so I don’t know what faces you make when you’re doing that.”
Hank South at 247Sports provided some clarity, explaining that Manning often makes these expressions when throws don’t feel perfect or when he’s putting extra zip on the ball. It’s just how he throws — not evidence of injury.
This all comes after Manning’s rollercoaster start as the Longhorns’ QB1. He bounced back against San Jose State with four first-half TD passes after struggling against Ohio State. His only hiccup was an interception under pressure on third down.
CBS Sports’ John Talty thinks there’s something deeper happening: “People are almost looking for reasons that he is not as good as they thought he was going to be. So then you find a video, you find a photo, you’re like, ‘Oh, maybe this is why he isn’t the guy who I thought was going to be a generational talent. He looks a little bad. Maybe he has a shoulder problem.’ You can see how it can get off the rails pretty fast and, understandably, why it would be frustrating if you’re Arch or [Sarkisian] or anyone else with the program having to deal with this over and over again.”
Manning himself couldn’t care less about the controversy. When asked about the throw to Ryan Wingo that started all this chatter, he simply said: “No, no. I got to make that throw. He was open. Ran a good dig route. So got to make that throw.”
