‘You Can’t Be Babied’ — Stephen A. Smith Issues Harsh Reality Check to Arch Manning Amid Texas’ Offensive Struggles

Arch Manning’s development is back under the microscope after Texas’ first loss of the season, and Stephen A. Smith made clear on Tuesday how he believes the Longhorns should handle their quarterback.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith said Manning cannot be babied and needs to be coached hard, three days after he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions as the top-ranked Longhorns lost 27-24 to Oklahoma in Dallas.

The comments came a day after Texas coach Steve Sarkisian defended Manning and suggested the scrutiny has more to do with the quarterback’s famous last name than with his play.

Stephen A. Smith Wants Steve Sarkisian to Coach Arch Manning Hard

Talking about Manning’s future at Texas and beyond with the “First Take” crew, Smith said he wants Sarkisian to be hard on the young quarterback and not coddle him.

“I just don’t want to see an elevated level of pacification kick in,” Smith added. “The bottom line is that you’re going to have to go through it. You can’t be babied and I’m not saying that’s Arch Manning. Last week, I looked at Sarkisian and I was saying to myself, he seemed to be, you know what, challenged and I asked him that. He seemed to be challenged in terms of coaching Arch Manning, as opposed to just coaching the football team and making sure Arch Manning is part of it. You got to coach him hard.”

Smith said his remarks were not necessarily a shot at Manning himself. Instead, he questioned whether Sarkisian is challenging his quarterback enough during a difficult stretch, arguing that young quarterbacks need tough coaching more than protection.

Against Oklahoma on Saturday, Manning threw touchdown passes of 41 yards to Cam Coleman and 34 yards to Ryan Wingo as Texas built a 17-7 halftime lead. He finished 19-of-31 for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

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However, both of his interceptions came in the fourth quarter. Peyton Bowen returned the first 42 yards for a touchdown that put Oklahoma ahead 24-17, and after Manning tied it with a 15-yard scoring pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr., Courtland Guillory picked him off with 19 seconds left. Tate Sandell then hit a 47-yard field goal as time expired.

Super Bowl champion Chris Canty, who was also part of the “First Take” discussion, acknowledged Manning’s mistakes but stressed that Texas has several problems to address. The Longhorns were penalized eight times for 61 yards, and Oklahoma’s first touchdown came on a blocked punt, with Dakoda Fields scoring on the play.

“I am frustrated,” Sarkisian said of the penalties after the game. “Because we are working at it. It’s not for a lack of effort… but it clearly has not been good enough.”

Sarkisian Defends Manning’s Trajectory Before Texas Hosts Florida

The “First Take” panel also discussed the expectations that come with Manning’s famous football family. He is the grandson of Archie Manning, the son of Cooper Manning, and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning.

Sarkisian raised that point a day earlier at his Monday news conference, where he said he thinks Manning is processing fine.

“I think if you took the name off the back of his jersey and you said, ‘Here’s Joe Smith playing quarterback at the University of Texas and here’s a guy who’s beaten four top-10 ranked teams in his last 13 starts,’ we’d be praising the guy,”Sarkisian said.

“I think Arch is on a nice trajectory. I hate it for him. He had two interceptions in the fourth quarter of that game, when, quite frankly, I thought he played pretty good up until that point.”

Through five games, Manning has completed 92 of 146 passes for 1,122 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. Pro Football Network’s CFB QB Impact Score has Manning tied for 58th out of 170 qualified FBS quarterbacks.

This is the latest example of Texas’ boom-or-bust offense. The Longhorns rallied from a 23-3 deficit to beat then-No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 on Sept. 12, but they ran for 61 yards on 36 carries and converted 3 of 12 third downs in a 20-17 win at Tennessee on Sept. 26. Against Oklahoma, they converted 3 of 14.

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Asked after Saturday’s game whether he would give up playing duties, Sarkisian said, “Not a chance.”

“It’s not fun when it’s happening but there’s only one way to respond,” Manning said Monday. “You can let it linger and let it affect the next week, or you can bounce it back. So, you have one choice.”

Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) fell from No. 1 to No. 7 in Sunday’s AP poll and will now face Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC), which has lost its last two games, on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Texas a 74.1% chance to beat the Gators and a 71.9% chance to make the playoff.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.